Timmins Tom

Toronto is AMAZING no doubt about that. One of the great City's of the World, and prospects for someone of your age who does not want to get into North Sea Oil or Gas are great. I live about 550 miles north in a Mining town called Timmins, came here on a drilling job back in 1996 and never looked back. I now work as an Engineering Officer with the BP Tanker Fleet deep sea, so can live anyplace in the World that has a coastline and is a member of the IMO or International Marine Organisation, so as a Ships Officer on Shore leave no Visa is required for entry.. Cool Job Eh?

Well if you are under 55 years of age, I somehow doubt it... So you know the Aberdeen music scene? Do you remember Aberdeen's first youth venue and 7 days a week Discotheque? It was the Royal Hotel in Bath Street. I was one of the two Discotheques who played there back then, the TW Discotheque running a T&B 50 Watt Valve amp back then... The other DJ's were Purple Helix, Bruce Kennedy and Fergus Watt... they ran the same amps as the Beatles 7 years before, AC30's again all valved as sold state was just around the corner for power amplification back then. No computers, cell phones, playstations or even CD's for they had not been invented. Other youth hang outs then were of course the Moorings Bar, the Lunar Seven Shiprow, and the Imperial and Guild Hotels... The North Sea oil boom was just starting and Aberdeen's night life was only just getting off the ground. The bars were closed at 10pm and all day on Sunday, only Hotels being allowed to open Sunday back then. If you danced you went to the Douglas where the Irish Showbands were supported by DJ Peter Mac and now and again myself. After the Royal closed for re furbishment in 1973 I moved across the road for a spell at the Top Rank Palace Ballroom as Fusion was called back then backing Peter D and the Dee men and Sandra finally ending up in the Palais Ballrorom in Diamond Street, sadly now just a car park. I also did a 2 year run in the ABC Tenpin Bowl George Street, playing alongside such greats as Roy Forman and Gully Foyle. Visitors to that bar back then including Jim Diamond and Annie Lennox, whose favourite record back then was Procul Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale". I still DJ to this very day having moved to Canada, but do things now on a laptop, playing Video and Karaoke with more ease than cueing up records back then! My how the world has changed. I doubt there is one single person on this site that can remeber back then...

Great Photo's Great Photo's Flash of the old Moorings Bar, making me a little homesick looking at them for Canada has nothing like that. Timmins where I live now is not even 100 years old yet... But the Moorings has been serving since the 1600's and that is a long long time back in the days of Sail when the Ships were made of Wood and the Men of Iron.... Oh err. I do not miss the Offshore Oil in the North Sea one bit and are much better off back sailing deep sea with the BP Tanker Fleet. If anyone can remember when the Moorings had a Pinball machine, I was the Guy who owned and serviced it. Also had machines sited in Back Wynd, Fithy McNasties and the Northern Hotel in Aberdeen in addtion to the Butchers Arms in Inverurie.. Ah those were the days. I may find an excuse to get back to Aberdeen one day soon and shock the heck out of you all by calling in past for a pint of decent Beer. The Beer in Canada is all Lager and total CRAP with 2 major brewers messing everything up big time (Molison and Labatt) Did get a week in Glasgow last November but sadly was on standby for a gig in Egypt and did not get to come to Aberdeen that trip. We have a great live music scene here though, as you would expect for a country who have exported so many major pop and rock stars... Where I live produced Shania Twain and quite a few major hockey players and Niel Young played here way back when. I used to play the Old Royal Hotel in Bath Street back in 1970 to 1973 as well as the Lunar 7 Bar - Shiprow and other dives back then along with former Northsound Radio DJ Bruce Kennedy and Fegus Watt of Purple Helix Discos (Sadly both now have passed away) under the TW Discotheque banner and still DJ to this very day playing an oldies based Video and Karaoke show in Gibby's Tavern here in Timmins at the Weekends. I use OtsDJ software, one of the best in the World go here for the demo OtsDJ: DJ software and TV / radio automation - Video, CD+G, MP3 mixing and be amazed!!! In 1970 the Royal Hotel was Aberdeens very first youth targeted Discotheque Venue and we packed the house 7 days a week. You had to move about a bit then or your feet stuck to the chewing gum covered carpet. The 'best' show I was supposed to have done was one hot summers night when I had the bay widows wide open, rocking back and forward on the Beer crate stage, the rear legs of my chair went clean through the Beer boxes and propelled me out of the Bar into Bath Street. I was still connected to the Discotheque by my headphone lead, and a half second later the decks landed on top of me to huge cheers of again, again... more... You get the Picture I am sure. The show went on, the only damage apart from my feelings were the headphones, who did not survive that night.

Hello Craig, Laura and the Mooring Crew! I miss you all and especially miss the BEER, you can get Lager and Lager and more Lager in Candada. Nice as it is how I long for a Pint of something dark or cloudy now and again. I have been sailing the World since we last met, I will give you a couple of links where you can read my last ships diary and see pictures of the places I have been, and the other will show you a little of my adopted home town of Timmins, Northern Ontario. Not a Pinball machine to be seen in the whole of Canada, have to do something about that before I get much older, but having way to much fun drinking the beer and chasing the Girls to worry about that. The music scene here is very good with a great mix from traditional to cutting edge, very good singers all around, but hardly surprising from the City that was to become home to Shania Twain. You can see that level of talent all about you in town and the girls are every bit as pretty eeek For pictures of where I live: http://www.shaniatwaincentre.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60 For pictures and stories of my last two trips: http://www.shaniaforums.com/showthread.php?t=36924 To all who know me, Cheers I raise my glass to you all, next time I am in Aberdeen I promise to look you all up.