109

Today is 50 years to the day since I first turned up for work at the Scottish Mutual Assurance Society at 109 St Vincent Street Glasgow.

On Monday 6th September 1971 I was a wee boy, just out of high school, glaikit and gormless, a spotty and speccy teenager starting his first proper job.

Over the years I changed departments and roles, moved to different buildings in the city centre and continued to draw a salary from the company which demutualised in 1992 when it was bought over by Abbey National, later themselves to be acquired by Santander. In 2005 I, along with about 500 of my colleagues, was deemed surplus to requirements, made redundant and given early retirement. A new life beckoned!

Scottish Mutual was, in the early days at least, a good employer with great people. But the company, formed in 1883, is no more. Who'd have thought I'd have lasted longer than the company did? I still look back with fondness on this day when I started with my one (nod to Mono Monday's theme) and only employer.