Truly the end is in sight.  It all began last year, when colleagues at West Herts College returned to work after the Summer break, to be told the School of Higher and Professional was being disbanded and staff allocated to different departments.  I being on the othe side of the world had no knowledge of this until the new year and my return to work.

I found myself in a strange new purpose built building and with a new set of colleagues.  Nothing wrong there, I just got on with it, my teaching was not in the areas expected and the degree programme which my colleague - Freda - and I had fought to get revalidated was being pulled by the University.  It was all change, and the morale of my old colleagues was desperately low. I on the other hand was on a high having completed my sabbatical, can’t be all that bad I thought to myself.  Courses had disappeared and students were even less motivated than before I left for South Africa.  Give it time, nope, my time’s up.

So here I was in my place of work, a job I had many great memories, trips abroad, running around on desks, on scooters down corridors, on tv shows, I had a good run, but felt within myself it was time for me to reflect and consider my options. One option uppermost was Vietnam and Tam.   I had already made my decision to go back and it was just a question of time.

Opportunity knocks all too infrequently in life, and so I spotted a little opening when I was informed my role, job title and teaching hours was to change, so I politely asked the question of ‘my role is redundant’ and this has lead me to where I am now, looking at a redundancy package to leave the College which has been my bedrock for nearly 20 years.

So what of the people I have met, far too many, but I had great days with Keith Seed, what an odd couple we were, and the life and soul of HND teaching, Marilyn Farmer, great colleague, Ruth Hickmott such positivity, David Williams mister motivator, Anne Waring and all her colleagues (Christine, Anne etc..) have been an enormous help and support, reprographics over the years with Ali and her team.  More recently Rob and David have been good colleagues and buddies, Rob especially with cycling and trotting off to Norfolk for a bike ride and David with his counselling. I am sure there are many names I have lost, forgotten, Steve Culliford, Priscilla, Vic Davies (top man) whatever happened to Bill Broadbent? Sam Mukerjee? Sylvia Wheeler? Andrew Bragg? Brian Jeffries many escaped to UH, Veronica Earle great buddy, Paul Smith…

And now it will soon be my turn for people to say - ‘do you remember Russell Preston?’, well I hope people do, and remember me for good reasons.  So I plan to leave at the end of July, and quietly slip away.  My territory was always the old building, my presence etched into the old corridors where I was king, the sterile new building will never have the same secrets,  too many windows, or allow characters like me to exist.  I am too much of a maverick teacher, great with the students and hopefully staff found me knowledgeable and supportive.  The King is dead - Long live…..?

So it will be out with the old, and all change….life is too short, and I remembered this from my travels, don’t know where it came from but:

‘Life is an opportunity’ 

(I want mine before it is too late)

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