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Back To Carl H Spiers Home Page Can I first of all say how proud mam and Karen would have been today to see so many people here, friends. neighbours, family, relations, colleagues, it is a wonderful heart rendering sight and epitomizes the respect that was held for them. Mam would not believe I did not sell any tickets for this event !! And here she lies, in this great church where she was christened in 1932, and how fitting that a woman who was so proud to be an Oldhamer has this service here in Oldham’s Parish Church. Well where do we start ? I hope most of you realise that what I am about to reflect on mams life is in no way being disrespectful, but the way she would have wanted it and indeed talked about many times with me, she wanted to be remembered as a fun loving woman who had a full and exciting life who entertained so many people along the way. She lived her life the way she wanted, everything she did was her choice, she was that strong of a character, not always right of course, she could be difficult and awkward on the odd occasion, but she was always straight and honest. She was of course what we know as a “Free Spirit”, even from an early age she was different, certainly to the girls , because mam was a tomboy, playing football on Mucky Brews, a famous croft in the heart of the old Northmoor district here in Oldham, she was by all accounts a fearsome tackler that would make Vinnie Jones look like Julian Clary. Even though she was tiny, she was fearless throughout her life, no matter what life threw at her and she has seen and experienced some difficult times, but she was a fiery proud young lady and woman. The “Cock” of Northmoor she used to brag about, and that was boys and girls as many of the older end would testify, not an ideal CV for a mother, but that is the way she was, She always loved to wander about, walking miles to the Saddleworth moors, Hollingworth lake, even in her late teens she was working down Cambridge and Kent hop and fruit picking in the summer seasons, making life-long friendships along the way, renowned for her bubbly fun loving spirit she would entertain her co workers with Al Jolson songs. Oh yes her singing, she absolutely loved singing and sung at every opportunity, our house was always full of song with mam belting out every song from every film, show and musical on our black and white tele, she always amazed me at how she could recall every word from every song, but then she amazed me many times throughout her colorful life. She got her love of singing from her beloved mother, Nellie, whom she adored and always spoke of in the highest regard, Mam was first and foremost an entertainer, yes of course she could sing and could sing many songs, but she was a woman who belted songs out, she had a magnificent set of lungs for such a small woman, and loved beltin’ out the big classics from Elvis, Tom Jones, Al Jolson and Shirley Bassey etc. you certainly didn’t smooch when Aggy Bar sang. Mam came from the golden era when the many pubs of Oldham were full nearly every night and most had a piano playing away and good working class people got up and sang, we were blessed in Northmoor with many of these singalong pubs and blessed that Aggy Bar starred and filled them all, she had loads of supporters, people who were guaranteed a great nights entertainment when Aggy got up, she would have people in stitches with raunchy rock ‘ roll style, thrusting out her hips and shakin her legs so fast that she made Emile Heskey look like Elvis, boy could she move ! To be honest as a young lad I was embarassed when me and a few mates would be staring through the White Stone window listening and watching my mam sing and dance, but Paul Sykes my best mate back then told me she was great and I should be so proud, just look at all them people enjoying themselves, and of course he was right, I soon became proud of her and have been ever since. I have seen mam fill pubs and clubs all over Oldham over the years and even brought the house down at the Philharmonica bar in Blackpool one day, the massive crowd from all over the country screamed and chanted for more more more, of course Aggy gave em’ more, and got the standing ovation she deserved.
That put the hairs on the back of my neck as I bristled with pride, mam just said, “I told you I was good “ Yes Blackpool - that town meant so much to mam, as proud as she was to come from Oldham, she also loved Blackpool very much indeed, she lived there for several years back in the 1950.s, worked on the Golden Mile on the Rifle Range and proved to be an expert shot, no surprise there, she had so many great memories and times in Blackpool and went every year for as long as I can remember, when we were kids we went for a week at least once a year and even when we had all flown the nest mam would spend at least a week every year there on her own, she had loads of friends there and I am so glad that she went just a couple of months ago on a trip from the 3 C’s with our Karen and mam loved it and was beaming when I asked her about it, Fantastic she kept repeating…. Childhood memories, as you will have gathered we did not have an ordinary childhood, oh we lived comfortably in a big old spooky house 148 West End street, which she was always proud of the fact she and dad had bought it for cash , 500 pounds! In 1962, but mam was not a domestic goddess, by no means, it was very basic, but ok, we never starved, thanks to the two chip shops at the end of our street, mam was no Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey for sure, cooking was boring to her, she’d rather be on the lash and singing,
but we had a good childhood, living close to grandma Bardsley, Mams’ mam until she passed away in 1970, we always had two holidays a year, mostly in Abergele and Blackpool and had many days out at Belle Vue, Tandlehills and Dovestones etc.
We were a church going family when we were younger, our local church Northmoor Methodists, where mams family went before us. But returning back to mams culinary skills, they were indeed legendary, and I will give you just two wonderful examples…….In 1977 I was 16 and just left school and got a job as a labourer on the building site, the houses and flats facing Oldham Hospital which were being built that summer, Well I began at 7-30 am that morning and finished at 5-30pm, a long day, and I only had a bag of chips for my dinner at about mid-day, so of course by the end of the day I am starving, now I was not expecting mam to make any tea and I just thought I would sort something out myself, mam was back then working behind the bar at the White Stone on the 5-8 shift, so I ran home, and when I got in the house I saw a note stuck to the sideboard, it read. “ Carl. Your tea is in the “Oven” love mam, now two things surprised me here, one - mam never ever wrote me a note in her life and two - she had actually made me some tea !! So licking my lips I marched purposely towards the oven, wrenched it open and was stunned ! There in it’s full glory was my tea that mam had prepared for me, THREE TOASTS !!! YES THREE TOASTS !!! To be fair to her, two of them were crusts, ………..so it was off to the chippy for Carl H. Another example of the Little Chef was when our good friend Steve “ Ned” Kelly was lodging at mams, back in the late 70’s, Ned was a great friend of the family, I don’t know what deal Ned struck with mam over the rent, but I’m guessing it was bed and an evening meal to be provided for him, Well on his first night after a long hard shift, Ned made his way home to 148 West End street, famished and looking forward to his tea, mam was still at the White Stone behind the bar doing the 5-8 shift, Ned bursts through the door like John Wayne ready to tackle a well deserved tea, now many of you here know all about Ned and his eating prowess, it is legendary, so picture the scene, when he also spots a note stuck to the sideboard, which read… “Ned, your tea is in the Fridge “ In the Fridge, thought Ned scratching his head, it’s the middle of January and there’s 3 foot of snow outside !! So confused but starving Ned wrenches the fridge door open to be greeted by a plate of………….. salad and COLD BEANS ! HA HA, HONEST COLD BEANS !!! Am I right Ned ? So the chippy got a visit from Ned, in fact we kept them chippies open for years thanks to Aggy. What a woman eh ? Latics, as you can see there is a Latics banner draped over mams coffin, and rightly so, she has been a Latics fan for over 60 odd years, even hitch hiking to away games in the old Third Division North days back in the 1940’s/early 50’s, she often drooled over the gorgeous George Hardwick, the lovely Fred Ogden, and the hardest shot in football, Ray Haddington, and the ball playing Scottish International genius Bobby Johnstone whom mam also was a drinking buddy of. And like all of those fortunate enough, she got to fulfil her dreams by seeing her beloved Latics at Wembley in April 1990, she was so proud as all of us who went were, and I was so proud that out of an estimated 35,000 Latics fans me and mam actually saw each other from a great distance, mam was in the dear seats right at the very top of the stand and I was with the Northmoor lads in the cheap seats right in the very bottom of the stand, yet me and mam clocked each other, amazing, she was the size of a thumb nail, but we waved and jumped up and down like loonies at each other. She also saw Latics in Division one, /The Premier and had a season ticket for many years, only ill health and age slowed her down and stopped her going, but she often wore Latics scarves and shirts, a true blue. She often sung Latics songs as part of her act in the pubs, I touched on her intelligence early on, she really was very brainy, and knew it, she often told me how she passed her eleven plus exam and got a place in Ward Street Central school, she said the dummies went to Richmond street ! Well looking around there’s plenty of dummies in here, including me ! But Mam was so quick witted, had an answer for everything it seemed, I used to be in her house a few years ago when Countdown was on and even the rare time Carol Vorderman could not answer a question, Mam would work it out, and then tell me Carol Vorderman must have gone to Richmond street ! She was the bravest most fearless person I ever knew, nothing fazed her, when the riots were breaking out allover Oldham I warned mam to stay in and be careful, she told me stop being daft, nobody is going to stop me walking about my town, and they didn’t, another example of her foolhardy bravery was about ten years ago, it was New years Eve and the worst possible weather you could imagine, blizzards, snowdrifts, sleet, the full works, it was horrendous, well mam was going out no matter what, and as many of you know, mam always had a quick gill, half a mild in each pub she ventured, well this was New Years Eve, so traditionally there would be a lot more pubs on the agenda, Well about 9-30pm, I saw mam outside the Queens, and I asked her what she was doing out in this weather and to get a taxi home, don’t be bloody soft ! She said, it’s only a bit of snow ! She then told me she was nipping up to the White House on Oldham edge, now most of you are aware that the White House is one of the highest pubs above sea level in the North of England, and to get up there from the Queens you had to climb the steepest street in the North of England, that night even taxis refused to up Crompton street, and believe me even Jack Osbourne the adrenaline junkie would not have attempted it that night, but Aggy did, despite protests she brushed me away and off she went up the big hill in those terrible wintry conditions, I feared the worst, Next day I calls around to see her at her flat and there she was as right as rain, I asked her if she made it to the White House, she replied “of course I did, saw such a body had a quick half and then went to the Sun and Spotted!” Which was another mammoth task a quarter of a mile across the bleak hills across Oldham Edge, she was incredible. She was very funny, straight to the point, no aires and graces, in saying that she never ever swore, but she did make me cringe sometimes, there is a bloke who goes in the Snipe every day, he is a hunchback fella and a nice chap, well mam always called him Quasi, right to his face, I mean he took it well, but she would sometimes say How are yer Quasi ? or are you coming outside for a fag Quasi, A few months ago mam began discussing her funeral, at first it used to upset me but then I thought well it has to be talked about and she very bravely talked about how she would like it, well I used to meet her every Sat and Sunday lunch, me our Peter and mam would have a few drinks around town, so mam starts telling me which songs she wants playing at her funeral, this went on for several weeks, and I would make a mental note, but every time we meet she would request different songs ! Eventually I told her, “listen mam it’s not Live Aid!” you have only got 3 or 4 songs !! She just laughed at me, and said Im sure you’ll sort it. Even in her final weeks I used to throw maths questions at her, to test her, what’s 7x9’s mam ? within half a second she would answer, 63, next! She would confidently shout at me, and no matter what I threw at her, she would answer right away, she might have physically faded very fast but her brain was still sharp.
So her final days, well, mam faded quite fast this last 12 months or so, from walking everywhere and being out every day, she really began to struggle even gave up her beloved singing which must have broke her heart, especially as every time she went in the 3 C’s. people would ask her to sing, but she said she could not sing because her legs had gone !! Ha ha, not her voice which had faded but her legs, which were a big part of her act, she shook them violently for so many years and it had taken it’s toll, it was soul destroying to see mam shuffling about, of course she still went up town every day, but she was so slow and it must have really hurt this very proud and independent woman, it did not help that she lived at the bottom of a very steep hill next to the Trap Inn, and she would fall over regularly, in fact she fell over that many times the regulars in the Trap nicknamed her Ronaldo !!
But seriously she was on her last legs, and this summer spent several weeks in hospital, then in a respite house, Franklyn House, who did their best to look after her, however there was one old bloke in there who was really aggressive and used to swear at and threaten other old people, well mam, as tiny and frail as she was - was not one bit intimidated and would bring her walking stick above her head and shout at him “ you don’t frighten me, anymore of that bad language and I will whack you over the head !” well he give mam a wide berth after that. But she pleaded with the family to get her out of there, she hated not having her freedom to do as she pleased and asked us to get her into her own place, which we did, but she could not cope, she became very forgetful and had to have carers and indeed our Peter had to move in with her, we still took her out as much as we could but this one time legendary drinker could only manage one or two drinks, and was that tired she asked to be taken home, but she was as pig headed as ever and would escape and go walkabouts, but forgetting where she lived, but so many people knew her , we soon located her and brought her back home, And sadly she passed away outside her front door a week last Monday, complete with fag in her hand, it was sudden - thank god and she has had a great life. And has heartbreaking as it undoubtedly is, the fact she meant so much to so many people and we the family have received so much support and sympathy really put’s things into perspective, she was an amazing woman who lived a long life and lived most of it to the max, how she wanted to, she made so many people smile and it is with that, we the family of Aggy Bar will remember her. Mam you certainly made an impact here in Oldham, goodnight god bless and
keep Rockin’ !
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