From Erith to Dubai: John D Smith 1963 to 1967
John D Smith, St Mary’s 1963 to 1967, with his wife, Carol, who he married in October 1973
With the country still reeling from the shock of The Great Train Robbery, a young man from Erith arrived in 2 Alpha at St Mary’s in September 1963.
His name was John Desmond Smith who had previously attended the London Oratory school.
John’s lifelong love of Geography was enhanced by both Bernard ‘Eccles’ McLaughlin and Ron Hesketh.
John was pack leader in what he describes as a very average Colts rugby XV and he also played the role of a porter in the 1966 production of Macbeth.
The St Mary’s Colts XV, 1965/66. John is standing back row, sixth from the left. The picture also shows Fr John McKeown, front row, far left and, far right, is Peter Lawson, Head of PE at St Mary’s from 1964 to 1968
John left St Mary’s in the summer of 1967 after obtaining nine O-Levels, including Geography and Geology before doing his A-Levels in Liverpool and going on to read Geography at Christ’s College, Cambridge.
This is what happened next in John’s words:
“It is now some 55 years since I left St Mary’s with good O-level passes in both Geography and Geology. Little did I realise at the time, in the summer of 1967, that my various printed notes received from Ron Hesketh and ‘Eccles’ McLaughlin would form part of a practical foundation for an eventual career in teaching Geography.
“In particular, the notes on the regional Geography of North America and the detailed notes on the geology of the Weald served me well in answering A-Level Geography and Special Paper examination questions and then again in the Cambridge Entrance Exams.
“I have been quite fortunate since leaving Christ’s College and my Geography degree has served me well as a basis for teaching the subject for over 35 years in a variety of institutions.
Guess which team John supports? John with his eldest daughter Sarah Jane and her two children Oscar and Izzy with John’s other grandson, Ezra, on the right, pictured at Anfield, home of Liverpool
“Well into the 1980s, information about farming systems east and west of the Mississippi and the influence of geology on relief features in the Weald was introduced to a variety of budding geographers in Liverpool, Reading and Carlisle.
“I have examined both Geography and Travel and Tourism for several awarding bodies, latterly as a Chief Examiner. I was even able to run annual field trips to Dubai from 2000 to 2006 prior to taking early retirement from full time teaching. I have now, aged 70, completely retired from both teaching and examining but a degree of self-employment still remains – I have just finished co-authoring my seventh Travel and Tourism textbook due to be published in April 2022. With luck, the new royalties might support visits to destinations which my wife and I are fond of – fingers crossed!”
As a bonus, I asked John a few supplementary questions:
First record you ever bought – With the Beatles
Your favourite band/artist – Rolling Stones
Your favourite film – The Good The Bad and The Ugly
Your favourite book – Porterhouse Blue
Your favourite sports team - Liverpool
If you were on Mastermind what would what would your specialist subject be? – Henry Cecil, racehorse trainer