The Chain Gang

I published NOT THE CONCRETE COWS in 1994. This was a kaleidoscope through the then adolescent new city of Milton Keynes. 

For many years I said I wanted to write a sequel. This finally happened in 2020 with MILTON DREAMS THE CITY THAT NEVER WAS. 

Within that text I tried to spark a dream that one day we would be given a city charter and promised I would turn my two books into a trilogy with Milton Keynes The City That Truly Is.

Well now we are a city. I am so proud and do proud across decades to have written of our heritage. NO, I am NOT going to write a book Milton Keynes The City That Truly Is. The third book in my trilogy will be MKENEYAN – A Handbook For An Amazing City.

Wouldn’t it be nice if all cities were like Milton Keynes.  NO wouldn't it be amazing if all cities were like Milton Keynes.

I have started writing, in draft form, this new book celebrating THE CITY OF MILTON KEYNES. Let me share with you now the first thousand and a bit words. (DRAFT – pardon the typo’s)

A CHAIN GANG - With thanks to former Mayors Mike Barry and Brian Baldry.

Partly with my tongue in my cheek I asked Mike Barry who was Milton Keynes Mayor 2007/2008 what the collective noun for a group of mayors was. Partly, I suspect, with his tongue in his cheek Mike gave me the answer A CHAING GANG. When I first read his reply I SMILED then realised the complete and utter genius of Mayor Barry.

Our mayor here in Milton Keynes 1981 to 1982 was Brian Baldry who had me help him celebrate his chain of office. I will tell you more of that in a moment but let me first list the members of our Chain Gang.

1974 – 1975 Ernie Fryer

1975 – 1976 Cecil Bowden

1976 – 1977 Gerald Neal

1977 – 1978 Gordon Wilkinson

1978 – 1979 Albert Eley

1979 – 1980 Patrick Adams

1980 – 1981 Maurice Howell

1981 – 1982 Brian Baldry

1982 – 1983 Joan Butterworth

1983 – 1984 William Jones

1984 – 1985 Frank Atter

1985 – 1986 Luing Cowley

1986 – 1987 Bert Tapp

1987 – 1988 David Taylor

1988 – 1989 Tom Branson

1989 – 1990 Roger Bristow

1990 – 1991 Betty Hanks

1991 – 1992 William Harnett

1992 – 1993 Fed Smith

1993 – 1994 Les Hostler

1994 – 1995 Edward Ellis

1995 – 1996 Bruce Hardwick

1996 – 1997 David Lewis

1997 – 1998 Val Squires

1998 – 1999 Grant Gillingham

1999 – 2000 Ken Beeley

2000 – 2001 Alf Woodcock

2001 – 2002 Pat Seymour

2002 – 2003 Alan Pugh

2003 – 2004 John Monk

2004 – 2005 Norman Miles

2005 – 2006 Philip Gerrella

2006 – 2007 Brin Carstens

2007 – 2008 Mike Barry

2008 – 2009 Jan Lloyd

2009 – 2010 Euan Henderson

2010 – 2011 Debbie Brock

2011 – 2112 Alan Richards

2012 – 2013 Catriona Morris

2013 – 2014 Brian White

2014 – 2015 Subhan Shafiq and Dereck Eastman

2015 – 2016 Keith McLean

2016 – 2017 Steve Coventry

2017 – 2018 David Hopkins

2018 – 2019 Martin Petchey

2019 – 2020 Sam Crooks

2020 – 2021 Andrew Geary

2021 – 2022 Mohammed Khan

Current Mayor 2022 – 2023 Amanda Marlow

So what was it Mayor Baldry had to say about his link in the chain ? Slightly edited this is a chapter from my book Milton Dreams The City That Never Was.

When Brain Baldry became Mayor he decided he wanted to come to Leon School where his

son and daughter were students, he wanted to address the entire school and explain the Milton Keynes motto:

BY KNOWLEDGE, DESIGN AND UNDERSTANDING

I was given the job of organising the visit. I packed 1,200 students and staff into the sports hall. Mayor Brian gave a brilliant talk inspiring the students. That was in 1980.

After the assembly Mayor Brian chatted with me about our infant city. We called Milton Keynes a city as it was being developed and everyone just assumed on completion it would be awarded a city charter. A few weeks after that assembly Mayor Brian was to host HM Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Milton Keynes. Brian would meet her at Bletchley Station, there was no Central Milton Keynes station back then. He hoped that would lead to Milton Keynes being awarded city status and shared his passion with me as we chatted. He so much wanted to be Lord Mayor of Milton Keynes.

By Knowledge, Design and Understanding. Mayor Brian stood before the assembly, took his mayoral chain in his hands and explained in detail the motto of our new city.  He wanted every student and every member of staff at Leon School to be very clear that this was the at the heart of our new city and what the words meant.

Knowledge began with The Open University then spreading out to every single school in the new city. Design was the planning of Milton Keynes Development Corporation. Understanding was the way we would all come together to build Milton Keynes into a great city. That is how Mayor Brian explained his chain of office. He inspired everyone at that assembly about the new city where we lived.

Mayor Brian Baldry was a businessman, well he liked to think that he was. He owned a taxi company, a small haulage firm and Bletchley Coaches. The wheels on the bus go round and round, well sometimes on some of Brian's buses they did but not always.

Following the success of Mayor Brian's school assembly, he decided he would host a group of students at the new Milton Keynes Council offices. Brian sent one of his own coaches to the school to take us there.  I say us because again I drew the short straw and was put in charge. It may  have been a short straw forty odd years ago but today I am so proud to have been given the task.

Driving the short distance from Leon School in the south of Milton Keynes to the civic offices in the city centre the engine of the coach began to overheat. By knowledge and a lot of understanding the driver managed to get it to the city centre and park up outside the council offices. He blagged an empty milk bottle from reception then kept running in and out with water to top up the radiator. It was my role to distract Mayor Baldry from what was happening. I smile now as I tell you the milk bottle which the driver was frantically using to fix the coach was from Taylor's Dairy, a dairy owned by a fellow council member and colleague of Mayor Brian, David Taylor who would later become Mayor of Milton Keynes.

BY KNOWLEDGE, DESIGN AND UNDERSTANDING 

Mayor Brian I am sure you were disappointed on not becoming Lord Mayor of Milton Keynes, I know how much you loved our  new city. You left us many years ago now but I am sure you are looking down from the mayor’s chamber in the sky with great pride now Her Majesty has granted Milton Keynes it’s well-deserved city charter.