Paddy Black: My Interesting Discovery

     Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and I am well aware that I have deprived you of anything to read on this blog for a while and on a number of occasions. This is not a post to justify that, as there wouldn't be very much to say, I have just struggled to write anything. I do have a few posts that are still a work in progress, even then, I just haven't been able to find the inspiration to write. The stress that school alone has put on me, with my final exams drawing ever so closer I hope you wont blame me for not having the blog fully on my mind.
    Only, when the blog has been on my mind, I have felt determined to produce something on it and often had no result. Luck presented itself as an old personal reflective essay I wrote in third year, when we had to write about ourselves and it was when my teacher suggested that I could write about an interesting discover I had made that brought this essay to life. I thought it might be of interest to you and I was quite relieved to be honest-that I wouldn't have the added pressure of thinking up a whole post from scratch.
     I have been known to have some confidence issues, I do sometimes contradict myself when I'm trying to write or whatever, even now when I look back at these paragraphs, I don't like how slightly cheesy or simplistic it is, but I'm not going to focus my attention on it. Even this essay isn't greatly written, but I am quite happy with it and it would be wrong to change it, take away the history from it. So yeah, here's a little look into my past and I hope you enjoy your visit.

                                     Personal Reflective Essay

   
      In this essay, I shall tell you of my interesting discovery that took me back about 100 years in the past. To do with the great work of my great, great, great, great uncle Paddy Black, as a missionary. Included in this essay is also what happened before and to lead up to this, and how this interesting discovery affected me afterwards.
     It was late Saturday evening, less than two years ago.Midnight was close to taking center stage; my grandmother and I watched T.V and I was determined to not allow the unsatisfactory programs, push me to go to my bed. One thought stood in my mind; one that managed to grasp my attention on many occasions. Do I belong to a creative family? With my interests in creative writing and notable work in that area, had this surge of creativity been passed down from previous relatives? Also, had one of my relatives made a significant mark in their time? The best I received from my gran was that an old relative of mine who was a well know folk singer; surely my family be more interesting than that? Luck stroke midnight.
     My grandmother had a blurry memory of some uncle; she had trouble placing whether he was an uncle to me or her. She carried to tell me of a man named Paddy Black, who did good work as a missionary many years ago. My ears captured every word and my mind was intrigued to know more. We lost all hope to finding every detail from the files of her brain so the internet became the last resort. My vigorous fingers typed his name into the laptop; my eyes grew disappointment as the only links that came up were brand names for different products. Luck stroke again when a link called “Paddy Black Memorial Mission”, guided my way into my uncle’s time.

     The year was 1906, the sound; nothing. The fact that no sound accompanied the video reinforced the idea of how old it was.At this time in the 20th century, being poor was almost a “trend” of the age. Children would be found shoe-less; their bare feet poisoned by the damp concrete pavement caused by the typical rain of Glasgow. It was a rare thing for families to visit the park or the countryside, as they were so far away. Just like money was far from being grasped in their hands. Paddy Black decided to make a difference; with the donations of the community, he was successful in taking 250 children from the Gorbals to the countryside. Sixteen years later (1922) he excelled to an even greater achievement. Again, with donations, my great uncle managed to take 2,500 children to the park. Supplied with pastry and milk in a small paper bag they called a “purvey”. It was such a rare happening, that they turned it into a joyous event. The whole journey taken was like a massive parade. What sadden me the most was that I was unable to her the sound of the marching bands or the children being carried in horse carts and Lorries. Behind me, I could hear my grans childish laughter and began to appreciate the saying “make your own entertainment” more when my gran pointed out some of the things she did as a child which they did as well. Another notable fact which sadden me, was that the food given to them would probably be the only meal the consumed that day. Even now, I still puzzle on what park they went to. It was humorous, as despite the cramped conditions, everyone still enjoyed themselves. As the video drew to an end, I felt he very barley featured in the film; giving the impression that despite everything he did, praise was not his aim.
     Once I had finished digging into my great uncles past, my grandmother showed her gratitude. Then, some weeks later, I gifted my mother and father with the rare look into the past. My parents were also very grateful, in the knowledge that even now, Paddy Black makes people happy. After watching the video, I knew comfort was assured once I went to bed. My path towards the dream world would not be blocked by any upsetting thoughts.
     To conclude, my deep look into the past offered me a new perspective of my relatives and of that time period. I try to take every opportunity to inform people of his work and how significant it was in his time, even though it may not seem so significant now. Sometimes I feel like it is my duty to honor his name. I remember the past and feel that I must do more to help others. He wasn't a hero, he wasn't a folk singer, he wasn't a soldier; I’m glad he wasn't because that makes his work all the more significant. He was Paddy Black, the missionary and he was my interesting discovery. 

                                                                

                                                 Geronimo!

                                                  Stephen!

A Tribute to Elizabeth Sladen: My Sarah Jane

     February 1st, marks the birthday of the late Elizabeth Sladen who sadly passed away on April 21st 2011. Best known for her portrayal of companion Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who, she become a role model to millions of people. The journalist entered the Whoniverse when she encountered The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) in the serial "The Time Warrior" in 1973, which was also the first ever appearance of the classic monster The Sontarens, and revealed the name of The Doctors home planet as being Gallifrey. Sarah Jane redefined the role of the companion, from being rather helplessly hysteric to being a feisty, opinionated, strong, equal to The Doctor and elements of her can be seen in every companion afterward, down to current companion Clara Oswald. At that time, that was not the role a companions or women were meant to play. It was an extraordinary thing to do at the time, before Liz Sladen, they played the victim or were just used as decoration, but what she did with the character showed women as equals to men. As recurring Doctor Who writer Toby Whitehouse says: "we forget how revolutionary she was at the time." 

     In the series 11  final "Planet of the Spiders" (1974) viewers bid farewell to another Doctor and welcomed Tom Baker to take over as The Fourth Doctor. Sarah Jane continued to travel with our favorite timelord, where  she met four of the most iconic monsters/villains in Doctor Who in Tom's first series alone: The Daleks, The Cybermen, The Sontarens and Davros. In the following series she met a fan favorite The Zygons, in their first and last appearance until the 50th Anniversary Special last year.  It was the next series in which Sarah Jane had her final adventure with The Fourth Doctor in "The Hand of Fear" before she had to leave because The Doctor had been summoned to Gallifrey by the timelords and no human was allowed entrance. She was brought back to her hometown in South Croyden,,,when in actual fact, she found herself in Aberdeen. Oh Doctor.

      Thirty decades and five Doctors later, 2005 brought the relaunch of the much loved Sci-fi drama after having been cancelled for sixteen years. In 2006, David Tenants first series as the Tenth Doctor entailed a reunion with Miss Smith, and a particular metal dog. K9 was a robot dog that joined The Doctor and Sarah as well other companions on many adventures, before a new model of K9 was given to Sarah in episode three "School Reunion" after he had sacrificed himself to defeat the bat like Krilitains. Despite an offer to travel through time and space once more, she declined, as she had come to realize there were plenty of adventures to have on Earth... defeating aliens, unironically. Before her return once again in the series four final "The Stolen Earth" and "Journeys End" Russel T Davies created a spin-off show in 2007, all about the journalist. Defending aliens with her adopted clone son Luke and his friends on Bannoman Road. 2009 leading into 2010 brought the final battle of Ten and in her brief glimpse of The Doctor before he left, it was only a stare that told her he was going to change and brought tears to fans eyes. Her final onscreen adventure with The Doctor was with our beloved bow tie wearing Eleventh Doctor in 2010... at his funeral, well sort of.  

     One year later, family, freinds and fans of all ages were devastated to hear the news that she had lost her battle with cancer at the age of 61. Two days before the start of series six, and straight after the episode aired, a special dedicated to her was aired on CBBC. Elizabeth Sladen changed Doctor Who for the better, and even for fans a new, she immediately sealed herself onto our hearts. Her acting ability was unmatched, in the smallest of scenes, she made them feel big. One tear from Sarah Jane left fans completely heartbroken and a moment of chuckles filled them with joy.  Elizabeth Sladen was an absolute sensation, she really was and she will continue to be remembered as such, because it is no exaggeration. Thank you. Thank you Elizabeth Sladen not for just being an amazing actress and role model to millions of people, but for being my Sarah Jane: "t'ill we meet again Sarah." 

                                                         Geronimo! 

                                                          Stephen.