Just some random thoughts that are hard to put into any order as Davids presence was so deeply entwined in everything at the Day Centres.
Dave was very much a milky tea drinker at the centre, usually downed in one!
“The Ugly Duckling was most definitely repugnant and hateful”
“Due to the Brighton bombing Mrs Tebbit will never play the violin again”
“It all ended in that bunker after all that ranting”
“I know what I stand for”-he most definitely did!
He invented his own dance for the song Bannerman
Getting money out of Dave to pay for his tea was like getting blood from a stone.
Not leaving him any gold coins (both £ coins and chocolate money) was a cardinal sin.
“Ceri was shooting her mouth off as usual!”
Walks on Steart Beach would often lead to discussions of the rovers in The Prisoner tv show-big balloons that recaptured escapees to the uninitiated
I once watched a repeat of the first episode of the Persuaders with Dave. I was quite enjoying it and Roger Moore and Tony Curtis were investigating a retired judge who happened to be in a wheelchair. Dave completely ruined my enjoyment by stating-you do realise that judge isn't really disabled minutes before he got up and walked away from his wheelchair indicating he was part of the subterfuge and the villain of the episode.
Dave once accepted an invitation from Chris Morton-Thomas to miss his library session for Chris to spend some time with him in the cafe Tea and Buns,where Chris treated him to cups of tea and a Mars bar.David then reported Chris to Peter Thomas for contradicting his diet.
Dave once went on a 3 month self imposed TV strike in response to Knight Rider being rescheduled.
Dave loved Mouldy Old Dough by lieutenant Pigeon.
Death was “the big sleep”, one was “sleeping with the fishes” or “wearing a concrete gaberdine.”
The weather was often “looming”
I once ran a relaxation session in the multi sensory room which Dave brilliantly referred to as the “multi perception room”,which is genius.Due to other service users having their feet massaged with talc,word reached David's ear that there was still talc on the very expensive fibre optic carpet.
David,without missing a beat,stormed off to the managers office to make a report.He bypassed the Day Service managers and knocked on the door of Head of Service to “report Jon Shirley for getting dusting powder all over the multi perception carpet floor” and suggested that he “needs to have a stern word with me!”
Another service user called Mark Page who also left this realm too soon,had Tourettes Syndrome and every other word he used was the F word or the C word! David would be constantly breaking into raucous laughter,whilst quoting Valerie Green and Stephen Day himself.Chaos!
I always sensed that David was very protective of his sisters and this was expressed in an initial thinly veiled air of suspicion sardonically expressed towards their respective partners(hence the Mars Bar betrayal of Chris!).Many years ago this attitude was suggested at in respect of Lizzie where her new partner was referred to for a while as 'that Bolivian chappie' and this constantly led to discussions of the demise of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid!
David had an eye for the ladies himself and once proudly told me that in the event of a building fire he would have no hesitation in rescuing staff member Tina Lambert before he assisted with my rescue
He was always very proud of his zip off trousers which would be proudly converted to shorts when the weather convened
David once expressed concern that Peter Thomas had purchased two bottles of wine as “this could lead to alcoholic beatings, divorce or burial under the patio!”
Telephone conversation between Jon and Dave's sister Liz:
“When I first met Dave he was sat in a chair with his arms folded and it was all on his terms, you had to put the work in. Then he wised up to the way of the world, he became less insular, learned the more he opened up the more he got back.“He wanted that connection with people. Which is something he wasn’t getting when he was younger. This is so true. Dave started to like brief hugs, I fell asleep against him on a bus once and whereas a younger Dave would have shrugged me off irritably I woke to find him ok with the contact and not shrinking away. Comfortable with it. Jon talked about how Dave transformed and in his words “ expanded as a person and grew into himself.”
On the question of whether Dave was being nuanced or random in his conversations. Jon is confident that Dave was able to weaving together a multi-layered take on the world. With many private in jokes that he was happy to share with you. The emphasis being on you to de-code and make your way in to the rich inner workings of in johns words “ His brilliant mind”
THE ITALIAN JOB
Jon gave as an example the Italian job a film that Dave loved above all others. Dave will start singing “On days like these … I recall the many things we left unsaid…. on days like these I wonder what became of you… la la la la on days like these” These crooning lyrics are used on the soundtrack at the very start of the Italian job when the car is going through the tunnel.
Jon took this as Dave checking He was paying attention. Whilst at this point - as someone with no knowledge of the film - I would wander out the room thinking Dave was just singing random 50’s or 60’s songs again. Jon explained Dave chose this obscure song that is wedded to the Italian job rather than a more obvious choice such as “ the self preservation society” to check if someone was following his train of thought. “If he was going through ‘The Italian Job’ with a buff he would go into more detail” Once Dave established that someone was on the same wavelength. He would continue mining the seam for as long as possible… Sometimes for longer than they could pay attention! I (sister Liz) could be perfunctory with Dave, walking out the room dismissively when he was mid conversation. Because I didn’t know the film , soap opera, often grisly life story or the event he was describing.
John in an email:“ Dave was so wise, the way he played people and the way he knew people and quoting people.” When pressed further Jon gave the example of Dave incorporating some aspect of Grandpa Hallett into a conversation and being deft at deflecting and distancing himself from the consequences of that point of view.
Dave “It was a good thing that Jon Lennon got shot" (because he and grandpa both believed all the drug issues came from the Beatles)
John “ I don’t think someone getting shot can be Called a good thing David!”
Dave “Well Grandpa Hallett said that”
Jon ended email with "Everyday was an education with Dave, constantly interesting,intellectual stimulating and often very funny....Many thanks for keeping me in mind as is always an honour to be part of his life"