by what is now Asda. “We were
stationary there; a girl pulled out, hit
a car the other side of the road and
then went head on into us.” It’s as if
trouble follows him around, an idea
well resembled by the decoration of
his scooter. “When I go round on it I’ve
got the RAF roundel on the back and
it looks like a target!”, he laughed.
Julian and I discussed Carterton and
his role within the town now. Mike
Bulley, his welfare officer and best
friend, who has provided tremendous
support for Julian over the years,
describes him as Carterton Liaison. “I
help the kids out, encourage them and
I’ve got to know a lot of them. I find
out what they want, what their needs
are, and give them advice on jobs and
things. I actually mentored a young
offender for the town council.” Julian
has actually been asked more than
once to be on the town council, but
he wouldn’t have the energy to do this
full time, his condition means he can
never fully commit to being at, say,
a meeting – it’s his view that he can
assist the people of Carterton
better independently.
Another project of his
is 20 years old. “I’ve
been trying to get all
the big name shops
here”, he said. “I’ve
even driven round the
town with KFC. I’ve
spoken to people like
Marks & Spencers and
Toby Carvery to see if
I can encourage them
to set up in Carterton.”
Won’t this ruin the small
independents that we want
to stay in business? “The
way I look at it is if you’ve got
places like Next you’re going
to start bringing more people to
the town”, he said. He is confident
that these people would then find the
independent businesses in Carterton
thus keeping them alive. Whether you
agree with him or not, you can’t fault
his efforts to get something done
and I found his belief that Carterton is
changing for the better warming. “Lots
of people put Carterton down. I try
and do the opposite. There are more
things gradually going on in Carterton,
it is evolving, just a little bit too slowly.”
He doesn’t view the town through rose
tinted spectacles, voicing his opinion
that the layout in the centre needs
sorting through use of roundabouts
or filtering. Further, he wishes for that
community spirit of old, where people
would help each other out a bit more,
be it by taking someone a pie or fixing
the gate of a resident less able to do so.
Julian turned 50 last year. In
celebration of this he had the Sons
of Anarchy logo tattooed on his right
arm, symbolising his enjoyment of the
television series that he attributes to
growing up in Essex at a time when
motorcycle gangs were thriving
there. His dedication to the people
of Carterton hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Julian on Bournemouth Beach in May 1985
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