Stephen

“I’ve been here for 75 years, 14 February. 

My family’s from Normandy, France. They came in a ship – Comte de Paris. And Captain Stanley was there to meet them with a bottle of champagne, probably. Well, that’s my job.  And I’ve done every job in the books. 

When we were young, we had to work on the farm, reap cocksfoot with all the returned servicemen; get the froth of the beer. And then you’re a billy boy, and then I left school to go whaling; there was still whaling in the Tory Channel when I left school, but my old man wouldn’t let me go. I worked at that bloody post office – two pounds 10 a week, seven in the morning, five at night, six days a week. I’ve done everything – you name it; professional hunter, cheese factory, wood cutting. I worked for the Power Board, 17 years. God it’s been a hard life.

See – I like getting dressed up. When we were young, I was Robin Hood and everybody. We started the French Festival 30 something years ago; I was getting dressed up for the French Festival. Did a reenactment like it was – on the main beach here.

This (uniform) is Napoleon’s era, Napoleon 1815. It’s jazzed up, to get them moving.

When you meet the cruise boat, they come off and up the ramp. And then you talk with them. I was getting a bit pissed off with them, they were a bit slow getting up the ramp. I said to the guy I said we’ve got cows that walk faster than you!  

But when you’re famous you don’t realize it. You just gotta keep doing it.”

– Stephen