Coincidences – Vivian Oliver – (38th Entry)

After reading so many articles in this great magazine I decided it was time I made a contribution.
During my 12 years service in the RAF my postings were Abingdon, Bahrain (Muharraq), Yatesbury, Shinfield Park, HQRAF Germany and Lyneham. First coincindence in that all my home postings were in the Thames Valley.

The two stations where the coincindences occurred and which I’m writing about were Shinfield Park and HQ RAF Germany.  At Shinfield the Officer i/c the Small Equipment Section was Fg Off Duncan Grant. He objected to my whistling and to my having time off to play rugby (a surprise as I learned later, was that he was a rugby player himself). I’ll come back to this later but meanwhile on to HQ RAF Germany.

My posting to Germany was to the Movements Section and more specifically to Movement Operations, tasked with monitoring all RAF and civil troopng flights in and out ot the Command. The Freight Section had a close liaison with us to find out what frieght aircarft were avialble for their requiremants. It wa staffed by a Flt Lt and a Sgt. The officer was Colin Heal who, like me lived in quarters in the Volkspark in Koln, as there were insufficient quarters at Rhinedahlen. We were bussed to and from JHQ (1 hour each way). Despite the disparity in ranks we chatted a lot on the journeys and became quite friendly as did our respective wives back in the Volkspark.

Colin Heal was promoted and returned to the Command Supply section. His replacemant being a Flt Lt John Burton. He also lived in the Volkspark accomodation and travelled on the bus. Again we chatted a lot and became friendly as did our respective wives. For me, HQRAF Germany was a great posting but eventually after three years it was back to the UK and to RAF Lyneham (which was my requested last posting as I wanted to stay in movements). At the time Movement was  still a part of the Supply Branch. Despite my request I was sent to the Electronic Equipment Section. So at Lyeham I was demobbed, given £200 and sent on my way. What to do?

Without much enthusiasm I applied for various stores jobs then out of desperation wrote to the Airport Director at Bristol Airport. Much to my surprise I recieved a reply saying that a possible job would be available in about six months time and could I attend for interview at a date to be notified. Could I? You bet !! So in April 1972 I joined Bristol Airport as a Duty Officer. My career there is worth an article on it’s own but suffice to say I worked there for thirteen years, ending up as Ground Operations Manager. In 1982 the Deputy Director at Bristol, was appointed to be the Airport Dirctor at Southend Airport and asked me to go with him as his Deputy Director, which I did. Talk about a steep learning curve! After two years the Director was promoted within the Company and I was asked to apply for the post of Airport Director which I did and was duly appointed. Another steep learning curve!

When out of the office one day my secretary told me she had received a call from a Mr Heal of Heavylift Airlines and that he would call back. Could this be the same Mr Heal I knew in Germany? He called back some days later and the conversation went something like this. 

‘Mr Oliver?’ ‘Yes Mr Heal good afternoon.’ Heal said ‘Before we get down to business can I ask a few questions?’ I said ‘Yes OK’. Heal says ‘Were you ever in the RAF?’  I replied ‘Yes I was’. Heal says ‘Were you ever stationed in HQRAF Germany?’ I replied ‘Yes Colin I was, how are you?’ Heal says ‘Bloody hell Viv Oliver it is you!’ I replied ‘Yes it is’.

So we had a business meeting most of which was catching up on our careers after Germany. I asked if he knew what had happened to John Burton. He told me that he (John) was running a B&B in Bath and that John would love to get back into the aviation world. Now to cut a long story  short, I went to see John and explained that there was a post available at Southend as Deputy Director and that if he was interested to send me a CV together with the application form. This he did and was interviewed by myself together with the Company Personnel and Finance Officers. At the end I said nothing but the other two agreed that John was head and shoulders above the rest of the applicants. So John joined me and we worked together for two years before I applied for, and was given, the post of Airport Director at Bournemouth Airport (the worst decision of my life !!)

Returning to Shinfield Park. During my short tenure at Bournemouth I was approached by the MoD and asked if I would give presentation on civil airport management to a group of senior officers from all branches of the services, who were about to retire and were looking for options in civvy street. I agreed providing it sent me a list of attendess beforhand, which it duly did. Glancing down the list I saw a WgCdr D Grant and immediatley wondered if it could be the same one from Shinfield Park. When they all walked in and took their seats I spotted him immediately. After the presentation and during tea and sandwiches he came up to me. The conversation took exectly the same path as it had with Colin Heal. At the end of the conversation Duncan Grant said ‘Bloody hell you have done well for yourself”. I replied to the effect that while I had enjoyed my time in the RAF I could see that with so many overseas bases closing, this would lead to a series of one year unaccompanied postings. I also believed in my own ability to get on without having to wait for promotion having to fill ‘dead men’s shoes’.

Colin Heal and John Burton were the best Officers that I ever worked with in the RAF. Afte leaving Heavylift, Colin set up his own Travel Agency and became Chair of ABTA the Association of British Travel Agents. Sadly he passed on some time ago. John resigned from Southend eighteen months after I had left, but we still keep in touch.

Finally let me suggest that to achieve a similar career path today one would need at least one Universty degree,  an Accounting qualification, or both. I had four ‘O’ levels, a good grounding in the RAF, put in a lot of hard work, had some luck and a wonderfully supportive wife.