Douglas & Agnes Thurston - Ingrid 1956

parents/daughter

In this deeply affecting conversation, I speak with my Auntie Ingrid about her parents (my grandparents) —Douglas George Thurston and Agnes Franziska—whose improbable love story unfolded amid the devastation of post-war Germany. Douglas, a British soldier known affectionately as “Busty,” had survived the horrors of being a Japanese POW during the Fall of Singapore. He rarely spoke of it, once telling Ingrid simply: “There’s no glory in war.” Agnes, a German woman with a commanding presence and a generous heart, made sure no one ever left her home empty-handed.

Their story is stitched into the fabric of 20th-century history. They met in occupied Germany—Agnes reportedly chose Douglas because “he looks like he can get us food”—and built a life together in Britain, raising bilingual children who spent summers with German relatives despite the lingering post-war prejudice. Their household was a blend of cultures, resilience, and quiet defiance.

The most poignant moment comes in the telling of their deaths. Agnes died suddenly at 57, upon hearing that Douglas was critically ill after surgery. He followed her 15 months later. Ingrid’s grief is palpable: “I was angry for a long time that I was so young when she died… that my children didn’t see her.” Yet through her recollections, we glimpse the legacy they left behind—values of hard work, compassion, and quiet strength.

It’s a story that reminds me how love, even in the toughest of times, can forge something enduring. And how memory, when shared with tenderness, can illuminate lives that might otherwise fade into history’s margins. I came into the conversation with a few familiar threads, but I uncovered so much more--details, emotions, and stories about my grandparents that I'd never known. It deepened my understanding of who they were, far beyond the fragments I'd grown up with.

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"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

Simon Redhead - Andy 1957

brothers

What happens when the quiet cornerstone of a family disappears? In this deeply affecting episode, I speak with Andy about his younger brother Simon — a man whose life, and sudden death, left a lasting imprint far beyond what anyone had imagined.

Simon grew up in Leeds, surrounded by teachers, and went on to become a much-loved PE teacher himself. It wasn’t until his funeral, attended by hundreds of former pupils, that the full extent of his influence became clear. “The place virtually came to a standstill,” Andy tells me, describing mourners packed “up in the rafters.”

Though five years apart in age, the brothers grew close over time, bonding through sport and their shared devotion to Everton. Andy’s recollections of 1960s Yorkshire are vivid — seaside holidays in Filey and Scarborough, pushing prams to school, and kicking footballs down quiet streets where “you could stop every five minutes when a car came along.”

But it’s Simon’s character that lingers most. Andy describes him as the family’s mediator — someone with “no isms or ists,” who could “look at things from other people’s hilltops.” He was the quiet strength that held everyone together.

When I ask Andy what he’d say if he had one more conversation with Simon, his reply is heartbreakingly simple: “I would ask him to help me.” A decade on, he still misses Simon’s calm wisdom, admitting he’s “about two out of ten compared to his ten out of ten” when it comes to resolving family tensions.

This conversation left me asking: What legacy do we leave behind? Who will remember our best qualities when we’re no longer here to show them? Perhaps it’s the quiet, everyday kindness that endures longest.

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"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

Bembridge School - Bas & Miles 1964

friends

There’s something quietly remarkable about friendships that endure across decades. I recently sat down with my old school friend Bas—now living in Sydney—for a conversation that spanned forty years yet felt like no time had passed at all.

We found ourselves transported back to Bembridge School on the Isle of Wight, where we spent our formative years in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Boarding school life then had a curious blend of austerity and enchantment—freezing dormitories with ice on the inside of the windows, the five "houses", and house ties that marked your allegiance. It was, in hindsight, a kind of Hogwarts before Rowling imagined hers.

Our chat meandered through the odd rituals that shaped us: nicknames so entrenched that real names were practically forgotten, the infamous “Island Walk”—a 30-mile overnight trek through darkness—and ghost stories that haunted us in the best possible way. These shared rites stitched us together, forging bonds that have somehow survived time and geography.

Music was a lifeline. Bas credits ABBA with getting him through boarding school, while I remember The Jam as the soundtrack to our adolescence. Those songs weren’t just background—they were emotional anchors.

What struck me most was our shared sense of what Bembridge gave us. “It taught you respect,” Bas said, and I agreed. Independence, resilience, and a kind of emotional literacy that’s hard to quantify but easy to recognise. Though the school itself now stands empty, its legacy lives on in us.

This conversation wasn’t just nostalgic—it was affirming. Proof that the past isn’t lost, just waiting to be revisited with someone who remembers it too.

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"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

Bill McGuffie - Moray 1957

father/son

What happens when musical brilliance collides with the complexities of fatherhood? In this episode, I speak with Moray McGuffie about his father Bill—a Scottish piano prodigy whose life was as dazzling as it was difficult.

Bill’s story begins with a jaw-dropping moment: stepping in at age twelve to play with a professional band, sight unseen. Despite losing a finger to gangrene, he became one of the world’s top jazz pianists, composing for film and television—including Doctor Who with Peter Cushing—and performing alongside icons like Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Their home was a revolving door of celebrities, from June Whitfield to Monty Python regulars.

But behind the glamour was a more tangled reality. Moray opens up about his father’s struggles with alcohol, erratic behaviour, and the decade-long estrangement that preceded Bill’s death in 1987. It’s a story laced with tenderness: music scribbled on cigarette packets, a trombone bought to nurture his son’s talent, and the enduring advice—“Be yourself.”

This conversation is a reminder that even flawed relationships leave lasting imprints. Moray’s words—“If anyone’s listening, sort it out if you can, because it hurts”—echo with quiet urgency. His reflections will resonate with anyone who’s navigated complicated family dynamics or longed for just five more minutes with someone they’ve lost.

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"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

George Palmer - John 1966

father/son

Every family has its storytellers—the keepers of memories that might otherwise slip away. In this conversation, recorded on the sun-drenched Mediterranean coast of Spain, I spoke with my brother-in-law who, John, without even realising it, had found himself living out his father George’s dream.

Early on, a quiet revelation set the tone: “I just found out from my sister that I’m probably living his dream.” From there, the conversation unfolded gently, full of memories—family holidays to Cornwall where his dad hand-sewed wetsuits, an old air raid shelter reimagined as a music-filled bedroom, and the comfort his father George, found in the sound of a distant motorway, which reminded him of the sea.

A vivid portrait emerged of a man driven by creativity and curiosity. He once hang-glided off cliffs, built tennis ball machines before they were mainstream, developed photos in makeshift darkrooms, and turned everyday materials into tools of adventure. Through his son’s John’s recollections, we glimpsed a spirit who valued ingenuity as much as imagination—and passed down a musical legacy stretching from Johnny Cash to alternative country.

What would he make of smartphones and AI? John & I both believed he’d have embraced the possibilities, while staying true to his love for authentic sounds and hands-on crafting. That reflection led to a quietly profound moment: “The sad thing about life is that when people are no longer there, everything they ever thought or believed disappears too.”

And yet, by sharing stories like these, something vital is kept alive—not just memory, but meaning. As I sat there listening, I couldn’t help but wonder: what stories of your loved ones deserve to be remembered?

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"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

Gary Booth - Karl 1963

brothers

What happens when a curious boy from Manchester decides the conventional path isn’t for him? In this episode, I speak with Karl about his brother, Gary—a man who, at 21, walked away from Thatcher’s Britain with just £150 and a self-taught smattering of French. That leap launched a 35-year adventure spanning continents, languages, and brushes with death, transforming him into a near-mythic figure among Namibia’s Himba people.

Karl gives his account and a glimpse of how Gary, growing up in a typical Lancashire working-class family, and stifled by a comprehensive school education system decided to break free from the “rat race” as a young 21yr old and embark on a lifetime adventurer that Hollywood could only dream about.

After leaving home in the early ’80s, he vanished for 15 years, working across Europe before making a perilous journey across the Sahara, through war-torn regions, and finally into Namibia’s vast wilderness.

Gary’s extraordinary letters home—often 50 pages long—document his life tracking endangered rhinos, surviving lion attacks, and earning the tribal name “N’garikatuki”, the man of the mountains. Perhaps most astonishing was his decision to buy a yacht despite minimal sailing experience and navigate solo across the Pacific, enduring hurricanes while relying on Karl for weather updates via satellite texts.

Today, Gary runs his own safari company, guiding small groups to Namibia’s hidden corners. His knowledge even caught the attention of filmmaker Eric Valli, who based a film on his experiences. This episode explores not just Gary’s remarkable life but the bigger questions about conventional paths, courage, and what happens when curiosity leads the way.

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"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

Christine Miles - Brenda 1939

best friends

What makes a friendship last for over five decades? In this heartwarming conversation, I sit down with Brenda—once known to me as "Auntie Brenda"—to explore the remarkable 50-year friendship between her and my aunt Chrissie.

Their journey began in 1967 at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London, where the two women worked as midwives, sharing accommodations and forming bonds that would withstand the test of time. Brenda recounts their early adventures with infectious joy, from misadventures in Chrissie's grey Austin A40 van to joining the Twickenham Ladies League of Health and Beauty (complete with mandatory navy shorts).

Our conversation takes us through their evolution from young professionals navigating 1960s London to seasoned travellers exploring France, Italy, and Egypt. Their stories are filled with charming details—finding £600 hidden around Chrissie's parents' house to fund a Cornwall holiday, transporting elderly relatives to a French wedding, and sailing down the Nile where the landscape resembled "the days of the Bible."

Beyond the adventures, we discover the secret ingredients to their enduring friendship. As Brenda reflects, "You don't live on top of each other... you don't get fed up with each other." Their connection survived career changes, geographic distance, and the passage of time because they created space for meaningful reunions and genuine support.

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"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

Thomas & Helen Part II - Toni 1938

parents/daughter

While talking with my mother, I explored my family's experiences, particularly focusing on my grandparents' move from London to the Isle of Wight. I discussed how they adapted during World War II and their journey from working-class backgrounds to owning and operating a guesthouse business. My analysis offers insights into family dynamics, the challenges faced during wartime, the evolution of the local hospitality industry, and the broader social context of that era.

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"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."