Judith Gothard

Where do you start writing about yourself?

I was born Wednesday 18 May 1960 - A Wednesday's child they say is full of whoe is that right. I will let you be the judge of that after reading my story.

Born to Maureen Anne Gibson (nee Wilson) and Douglas Gibson 18th May 1960, unfortunatly Douglas never got to meet me as he was killed in a motor bike accident on the 16 April 1960 just one month before my arrival.

My Mum was married widowed and a mother in a space of 12 months.

After my arrival I was brought home to my Grandparents home on Providence Place Pudsey where my Mum Maureen Anne 2 Brothers Tom & Frank and litte Sister Elaine were brought up by their parents (my grandparents) Mabel & Tom Wilson.

Maureen found a little house just down Richardshaw Lane on Park Row (now a carpark at the side of the Oddfellows) which she was pruchasing through a scheme called rental purchase.

It was a one up an one down property, A coal fire, and small kitchen which was based at the bottom of the stairs and only room for a cooker and sink, one bedroom, no bathroom, the tiolet was at the end of the street with a lockable door and a hook for the newspaper (to wipe with not read).

My earliest memories are of living on Park Row, There was the caretakers house at the end of the street at the side of the oddfellows Hall Public House and on the other side was the cobblers, with a large dry stone wall that we used to love sitting on top off, down the bottom of the street was a lean to garage which my step father Malcolm rented and bred rabbits to kill and sell to locals for rabbit stew. and then right at the bottom was the Church St Pauls.

Mum had remarried when I was two she dated Malcolm for a number of months, he was an employee of my Grandfathers which didnt go done too well at the time, but they were together for many years. Having two sons Lee born in Feb 1963 and Dean born in November 1969.

We had so much fun in the grave yard - we played pirates and the big tomb like stones were the ships and the tall grass and weeds was the sea riddled with sea serpants and sea monsters. there were real snakes there too came across them a couple of times and to a 4 year old they were sea serpants.

One day I was hiding from childhood friend and neighbour behind the church wall and she decided to stand on the wall and drop a house brick on my head, rushed to the doctors and instead of stiches they tied my hair in knot