Anthony Ryan 1968 to 1973
Known as Cornelius while at school, Leeds United fan Anthony arrived at St Mary’s in September 1968 after being at another St Mary’s – the primary school in Eltham – before that.
Assigned to 1 Alpha, he has reasonably fond memories of his time at St Mary’s and is particularly grateful to Fr Graystone who he says cut him plenty of slack as, by his own admission, he was a rather troublesome young lad!
He also recalls the different teaching styles of the likes of Peter Ribbins, Ron Hesketh and Dermot McMahon.
Anthony also recalls great hilarity when a popular young female teacher tried to convince a classroom of Grammar schoolboys that a shrew was a bird!
Anthony drumming in the Milnthorpe Steel Band
It was while at St Mary’s that Anthony first grew interested in ska and reggae and later began collecting records at Muzik City in Lewisham after it opened in 1970.
After obtaining five O-Levels, Anthony left St Mary’s at the end of his fifth form, in the summer of 1973 and worked for the old Greater London Council (GLC) at County Hall until it closed in 1986.
While there, he supplemented his income between 1977 and 1979 by working at various west end theatres in the evenings, initially as an usher and then a barman.
After the GLC closed, Anthony joined Madame Tussauds as a guide and team leader for two years before working for London Underground for 13 weeks: (“It was awful – I hated it!”)
However, from 1978 onwards, Anthony had been travelling to America and importing rare records so he set up his own mail order business until he moved to the Lake District in 1995:
“I cared for my parents in their old age and I’m still there more than 25 years later,” he says.
Anthony pictured with the BBC’s Owain Wyn Evans who visited Milnthorpe in August 2021
Anthony now lives in Arnside, just south of Kendal and, among many other hobbies, plays drums in a steel band:
“I started having proper drum lessons in 1977 when punk exploded onto the scene,” says Anthony. “The real ethos of punk was grab an instrument and have a go so I did and realised a drum was the instrument for me. Over the years, I have played in many bands (no famous ones) and have had a lot of fun. As of 2008, I was playing with the three clergy of Arnside in a group we called the Holies (a mickey take of the Hollies) and, in 2015, I was approached by the Milnthorpe Steel Band who needed a drummer. Six and a half years later, I am still with them, playing gigs all over Cumbria (Covid permitting) and even appearing on the BBC back in August. this year.
Anthony played in a rockabilly band in the early 80s
“Overall, I have fairly good memories of St Mary’s – certainly far more good than bad but I do have a couple of regrets. One is that it took me many years to realise just what a brilliant person Fr Graystone was. I was a troubled and troublesome pupil and it’s only in retrospect that I realise how much slack he cut me. Sadly, Fr Graystone is no longer around for me to thank him.
“In closing, four things about me that might surprise my former classmates – I’ve never been to prison. I think I could have been headed in that direction when I left school but mercifully I got my act together. I’ve never done drugs, I don’t have any tattoos and I still go to Mass every week!”
It was my pleasure to enjoy a long telephone conversation with Anthony and discover some common interests, not least ska and reggae music.
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