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Larne - Tommy Seymour and the 'Tech Old Boys.
Article submitted by Alison
Kane
When I came from sea I rejoined the 'Tec Old Boys,
I was one of the people who founded the Tec old Boys.
Every Christmas the 'Tech Old Boys always supplied between
15 - 20 Christmas hampers to various pensioners and
more often than not when you did go with the hampers
you discovered you were the second or third person there.
So I resolved at that time if I ever got the opportunity
to start an organisation that would save more equitable
distribution I would do it.
So I became Mayor in 1974. To the best of my knowledge
there were only 400 pensioners on the social services
list at that time. So we called a meeting of all the
various organisations in the town in the town hall and
there were 60 people turned up. And I divided the town
physically into seven and they all split off and knocked
every door and they came up with 1500 pensioners inside
the boundaries of Larne.
So at that time, once the organisation was established,
we weren't sure what to call the organisation and we
circulated the schools and asked for ideas but nothing
particular came up. The following April Mrs Ross, one
of our members, brought down to Larne a woman who had
just been appointed that week as secretary of Age Concern
Northern Ireland. My aim was to help pensioners to help
themselves, to try and make sure they got better benefits
and have a better. Our aims were the same aim of Age
Concern Northern Ireland so we decided there and then
in 1975 to became Age Concern Larne. So we were launched
before Age Concern Northern Ireland was launched because
they weren't officially launched until the next year
and we became Age Concern Larne first.
We decided we would do a Christmas Hamper service,
in conjunction with the Lions, St Vincent de Paul and
the Rotary, and that's been going ever since. Now every
Christmas we distribute over 400 parcels.
I was Mayor from 1974 - 1978. I have lived in Larne
all my life except for during the war when I was at
sea.
Special thanks goes to the Larne
Millennium Initiative for its help in sourcing
this story.
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Your responses to this article:
Glen Brown - Mar '07
The Larne Tech Old Boys.
DENNIS HARVEY RIP 2007
All were saddened by the recent death of Dennis Harvey who
had been an active member and office bearer of The Tech Old
Boys FC since the 60s.
The very large attendance at Dennis's funeral was a reflection
of the high esteem and respect that friends held Dennis.
Friends unable to attend due to distance in Australia, Botswana,
Canada, New Zealand, Mainland UK and USA regretted that they
could not be present.
Martha Finnegan - Nov '06
Hi Glen,
I have very fond memories of Tom Graham and his wife who was
a real lady, my parents often sent me down to his shop on
main street.
Tom was extreamly well thought of by all the Larne folk he
was a gentleman someone to be proud of.
I know he moved from the town and had a shop up at Antiville
in his later years.
Glen Brown - May 05
Nice memory of a Royal Visit... In the late 60s The Duke and
Duchess of Kent visited Larne to officially open the Linn
Community Centre and Larne Swimming Pool. A year later in
Edinburgh, I often met the Duke a serving regular army captain
stationed there and I was a local police officer.
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