Horndean & District

November 2019 - Life and Other Problems

Members of the Horndean & District U3A met for their regular monthly meeting on Friday 1st November where they listened to a very interesting and entertaining Talk by Judy Theobald who is a Hampshire person, born and brought up in Southampton and whose Grandmother was born in Fareham where her Great Grandfather who was a policeman was also based.

Judy's talk covered many funny stories, anecdotes, jokes (some a little risqué) and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. From the age of seven she knew precisely that she wanted to become a journalist. She produced a hand written magazine which she sold for 3d a copy!

Judy attended a Grammar school in Southampton where it was expected at that time that girls would become a nurse, a teacher or a secretary. Following her A levels, she attended a secretarial college in London to study shorthand and typing which she was told would assist her in becoming a journalist and getting a job on a newspaper.

Following her studies, she took up secretarial work. However, Judy had many interviews for work on newspapers where she was told that she had just the skills they needed but they did not employ women as journalists. Judy was bored with her secretarial job, with the poor salary and outlook, so she decided to join the Metropolitan Police Force where she would have a career.

Judy met her husband who was also in the police force and when they left the force they moved to Lincolnshire. She had two children which she brought up on her own. Whilst she was helping her husband in his business, she enrolled for a WEA writing course where she wrote some poems. The poems were sent to a local newspaper where she eventually obtained a job writing a weekly poetry column. She was given a month to write 20 poems which were accepted and her column was called "Life & Other Problems" which she wrote for 23 years. She also wrote advertising features and finally trained to be a reporter when she was 37. She became a sub-editor, planning the design layout and writing the headlines which she did not enjoy so she left.

Judy regrets that regional newspapers have been in decline for many years because they provided scrutiny by their journalists attending council meetings, health authority meetings etc. with constant scrutiny on behalf of the local public - also it was a one stop shop for local information.

Judy met many important and interesting people whilst working on the newspaper. She also did an interview whilst in bed with Sooty!

She got a job on BBC local radio where she did the morning show which was interesting and fascinating but exhausting and which she retired from 5 years ago. She read out several of her poems which were extremely hilarious and entertaining. Judy told many amusing stories about the plots in Mills & Boon books, Pudsey Bear, the Chippendales and her own books. Judy is obviously a super entertainer with her unending hilarious stories.

Diane Stoner
Speaker Coordinator