From: Daniel Millan ()
To: mnc.admin
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 3:43 AM
Subject: Old Pupil


Hi,

I was there at ILEA trying to stop the closure of the college. I was doing the HNC in Marine Electronics Engineering and the MRGC. We had to finish our studies at South London College in Norwood. The MRGC was badly catered for and eventually just faded away as people gave it up. I was the last to stick with it until they finally made the decision to scrap that too.

I missed the comradely at the college and I loved the view from my room over the Thames. I restored a couple of ships for the Principal, no idea where they are now. Someone told me they had been put on display in the Maritime Museum, but I have not seen them. 

Timing for me was not kind. I graduated in 1990 and went for interviews at the Defence Research Agency in Farnborough, for which I was accepted into Missile Technologies and Counter Measures. However with the Berlin Wall falling and the change in world politics my post became postponed. I remained out of work, not finding anything in electronics engineering. The Gulf War of course started the machine rolling again but I was out of work too long and without enough experience necessary to get back into it. My training by then was out of date. I then went to Australia and got work in Fremantle near Perth in Western Australia working on a ship yard installing Radar and GPS, autopilots etc, but that did not last more than a few months as my HNC was old and I did not have an Australian Standards certificate which would have meant me going back to college again for another year and to get a certificate of trade that they required.

I changed jobs and went to work as a dealer in the casino for a few years, but gave that a break for a year and went back to London and became a Chauffeur for a year. Then returned back to the casino for a few more years and finally decided to go to university. I am now expected to graduate from a BSc in Environmental Management this December and I may stay to do Honours in Urban Planning, or a Grad Dip in IT. I do hope one day to return to UK as all my family are there. 

I would be interested to know of anyone else from my course has signed in, especially Vicky Sullivan she may have married since and may not have the same surname.

I remember going back to the site before it was demolished and thought that if one day if I had the money I would have bought the Folly and rebuilt it. It was a shame to see the swimming pool covered in a mat of algae and the gymnasium floor warping and crumbling apart.

I will always remember the good times I had there and the lovely views from the canteen every day for breakfast.

Regards
Daniel Millan