I was born on the 26th December 1972. A very sickly child, I spent my first 48hrs in an incubator before I was able to be held by my mother. This was followed swiftly by a double hernia and a near fatal dose of E.coli enteritis which saw me spend many months in hospital. Just after starting primary school, I tripped and smashed my front teeth in the playground. Given a huge dose of penicillin to stop me from losing my teeth I suffered a near fatal reaction to the penicillin. Too ill to move to hospital, the treatment team came to me to give me 24hr care at home for many weeks. Shortly after recovering I then gave myself sepsis by stealing spilt sugar from the sugar trolley in Safeway when shopping with Mother. Even though I survived this difficult start in life, I was far slower to learn to walk, to learn to talk, to learn to read than my peers. My developmental curve for physical and cognitive development was well behind them.
I carried this disadvantage into school. On my first ever school cross country race, I was so last that when I appeared out of the woods at the top of the hill, for the final flourish into the finishing line, I discovered that the finishing line had been packed away, that everyone had gone home. The only two people remaining were my parents who were looking around them wondering where Archie was. I waved my arms, burst into tears and screamed “wait for me” before running down the hill like a lizard on hot sand with tears streaming down my cheeks. I ran into my mother’s arms who cuddled me closely before exclaiming, “Don’t worry dear. I am quite sure that you will have other talents”.
After struggling physically and academically through prep school, I was sent to a boarding school that would take me despite failing the entrance exam. Convinced that they had the teachers and techniques to educate me, I had a chance at this fine school. Despite breaking the school record for being the only boy ever, in the five-hundred-year history of the school, to score, in every subject, for every monthly report card, 1 for effort – the highest possible score, and E for attainment – the lowest possible score. I kept trying. Despite being relegated to the last eleven and the last fifteen for every single sports team and, even worse, becoming the scorer for the last eleven, I kept trying. I never scored a try on a rugby pitch, nor took a wicket or hit a boundary, but I never stopped trying.
While just seventeen years old I was on board the sail training ship, Sir Winton Churchill, being trained as a potential Watch Leader. During this first voyage I saved my first life: a young man I discovered swinging from a rope. He survived and went on to live a long and happy life in the fishing industry.
Having realised that I would be unlikely to secure a university place and suspecting that I did not have the academic rigour for university, I looked elsewhere and discovered that I only needed two E passes at A-level to be accepted for the three day Army Officer Selection exam, (RCB). I learned of the school’s prediction of three U grades for my A-levels but didn’t give up. Instead, I kept trying and really knuckled down to homework over the holidays. I kept trying and secured a D, E and N for near miss, in my three A-levels so had the requirements to go forward for RCB.
While on my gap year in Australia I became full time crew on the Bounty and then the Solway Lass which both sailed out of Sydney Harbour. My claim to fame being to get my tarred bottom on the Australian soap ‘Home and Away’. Please read on to learn more.
