Any Change Mate?

This is a personal one from me.

In the early days of my budding career any opportunity to get “the bleeper” (no such things as mobile phones), the alarm code and a master key was seen as a major coup and definitely a step in the right direction.

As a Supervisor (which was one rung up from a Lifeguard and one below Duty Manager) from time to time the Boss asked if I could cover a weekend in case the alarm went off as none of the management team could do it.

You didn’t get any extra money or anything - just the opportunity to “wear the bleeper” and have a master key!

Generally of course NOTHING ever happened and I soon realised what a waste of time it was and a con to have to stay “sensible” on a Saturday night after a rugby match.

Of course the inevitable happened one Saturday night/Sunday morning about 12:30am as we continued our victory celebrations from the days rugby down in Dobbins Hotel.

Off goes the beeping beeper and with the sound of some charming rugby chants being directed at me I left on my mission slightly the worse for wear!!

Luckily the Leisure Centre was less that 1/4 mile from my watering hole so I was there in no time at all.

Now I had already been warned by all the members of the management team that there had never been an actual break in - what’s to steal?

It was always a dodgy sensor or the christmas tree falling over, or interestingly enough the glass backed squash court shattering spontaneously on one occasion!

So none too bothered and full of liquid courage I opened the centre, silenced the alarm and started to sweep the area!!

All quiet as expected and I dragged myself up the stairs to the cafe.

I casually pushed the cafe swing doors open (in the dark) and that’s when I almost lost control of all my bodily functions as well as having a heart attack!

A swaying figure dressed in black was standing at the vending machine feeding coins into the money slot.

As the “intruder” lifted his head (he was definitely in a worse state than me) he slurred at me “Hey Robin - have you any change mate? This thing keeps chucking back my 10p’s”

It turns out he was a member of the Leisure Centre and was making his way home from the golf club and decided he need a rest - which he took at the back of the centre at the plant room doors.

Being in an “inspired” state he decided he was hungry for chocolate and proceeded to unscrew the air vent grills off the doors with a 1/2 penny.

Once removed - into the plant room and up two flights of stairs to the cafe and the 1st alarm PIR

Anyway - we replaced the grill, re-set the alarm and agreed to “never mention it again” and off we set back to the craic in Dobbins!