just read the itinerary for the Scotland tour - amazing. Will bring back so many memories for me. I would still be working in the industry if that were possible. Heaps to do but it was my yearning after being there for quite a substantial number of years.
We had two coopers when I started and they were amazing to watch. Stripping the barrels down and checking for leaks, hammering the hoops back into place without amiss. One of the coopers was a chap called Andy Huggins, a Scotsman with a very broad accent and when he got excited I could not understand him. One day he was re-charring the inside of a barrel with a gas burner, the barrel was on a roller and as Andy went to place the burner into the barrel there was a blowback which singed the eyebrows of Andy and a wee bit of his forehead hair.
I do not know who got the biggest fright but I knew Andy was excited because he was cursing and running around like a mad hatter. No damage done. He was a great guy.
I was 17 then. Lots to learn.
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