John Spinks 1956-2002

The Ban

At the time John had his first “target” car his beloved “Alfa” as he called it. It was a black 2 ltr Spyder and it was a beaut.
One day as he and I drove back into the Parts depot at Small Heath where we were based we started on the long trek between massive warehouses to the Sales and Marketing block that was our playpen. As we passed between the buildings John spotted a lone warehouse man about his business.

John being John started to try and run the chap down be it very slowly, the chap went left John went left and so on, anyway after 30 feet or so the chap jumped into a doorway and we drove past it was pure Toad of Toad hall and John was Toad.

That afternoon came the call from personnel John Peet the HR director to be precise, would John Spinks attend his office with union representation in 20 minutes.
This spelt trouble, this meant a disciplinary matter.
John and his union rep (who just happened to be yours truly) attended said meeting the result of which was a written warning and a three month ban on bringing his beloved Alpha on site. “It must be parked at the public car park at the front gate.”

John was not happy, each day would find him standing by the front gate waiting for one of the Sales and Marketing staff to give him a lift to the S& M block it was at least 400 yds walk and John wasn’t quite so health conscious at that time.

I had a Silver Matra Bagheera sports car and on a regular basis would pick up said miscreant from the gate and deliver him to his desk.
After one month John went back to HR with a plea that he had been a good boy for a month and how about reducing the ban.
We waited for about twenty minutes and he bounded in with a big smile on his face.
“Did you get a result I asked?”
“Nah he said the ban stands full term”
“Well what are you so happy about I said?”
John Peet said “I was naive and didn’t understand how the plant worked”
“What do you mean?” I replied
He told me the works hate the staff! “Yeah” I replied
And the one thing they hate more than the staff is Sales and Marketing “good choice” said I and the only thing they hate more than that is ………………..
you and Dave Price!!

With a workforce of over 200 people we realised we had finally made the grade.
John was happy, fame at last we were being vilified for having flash cars loads of money (not true) and perpetual smiles (Oh yes!).

John served the ban and eventually wrote off the Spyder on a right turn in Oxfordshire (He always reckoned that one wasn’t his fault!) as for the Matra that one met its fate at his hands but that’s another story.