Tracy Perkins

Where are you now?
I live in Exmouth in Devon, about half a mile from the beach.

Household members:
Me, Paul (we're not married - didn't see the point really, but we've been together for 13 years) and Perkins (Perks), our
Golden labrador. He's 5 years old and is our little boy in a fur suit!

What do you do all day?
Well, I have recently (two weeks ago) qualified as an Emergency Care Assistant with South Western Ambulance service. So I have been studying hard and now I'm in the crazy world of shift work! I plan to become a paramedic, and will start a 4 year OU degree next year. I'll continue with my current job while I'm studying. Paul was working in London but left when I went away to college so he could look after Perks. He works from home writing computer programmes and database systems (that's about as much as I understand).

The last 20 years....
Well, wrenched away from CT and St Cyp's at the end of Std 8. I found the dress that everyone wrote on (and drew big boobs on - thanks Schlossie!!) before we moved to Devon - It still fitted, which goes to show that my body STILL hasn't entered puberty!!

Went to a comprehensive, ROUGH, school in England. We were different because we did our homework, didn't swear at the teachers and went to school every day! A huge shock from the comfortable surroundings and overall attitude of St Cyp's! Anyway, ended up at another school because we moved again, and got 11 O-levels, including Afrikaans! Our parents decided that as we had learnt Afrikaans for all those years we would get a qualification, so Amanda (my sister) and I sat an Afrikaans O-level. Very surreal!

Did A-levels, went to Leeds Uni and got a degree in Biochemistry & Food Science. Had a place at Oxford to read Chemistry but decided I didn't want to focus on Chemistry so turned it down - my parents didn't talk to me for weeks. Had the whole 'we paid for you to go to a private school' thing thrown back at me, but stuck to my guns and thoroughly enjoyed my time at
Leeds.

First job - Food Technologist at United Biscuits. Bought my first little flat. Changed to an American company, marketing food & pharmaceutical ingredients, travelled the world, interesting but had met Paul by then and didn't see each other much so changed companies again doing a similar job but for a company based in Marlow. Paul and I had bought a house together
by then so I decided to spend a year renovating it. Got headhunted by an old contact so did a six month laboratory project with him, and then spent a year doing the house.

Decided I didn't want to go back to the food industry so did a course on setting up and running a small business, and a Dulux decorators course, and launched 'Do-it-HERself'. Thoroughly enjoyed it and word of mouth spread very quickly. It became quite profitable, but then Paul was made redundant so we decided on another move. We had been looking for a plot of land to build our own house in Bucks, Berks or Oxfordshire, but hadn't found anything suitable so decided to move to Devon .... here we are in Exmouth having spent about a year building our own house. I was project manager and labourer, Paul had another contract in London so he stayed there during the week and I lived down here with Perks and worked on the house.

I was already planning my next career move - I had always regretted not applying for Medicine when choosing my degree, so I applied to the Ambulance service, and it has taken about 18 months to get to where I am now. It was quite a gruelling selection process and loads of exams, but now I am gainfully employed and enjoying every shift!

Shining moments from school years?
Umm.... Actually loved watching the cable car from the hockey field! Quite enjoyed walking down to the cathedral on St Cyp's day. Peeling acorns with our compasses when we were allowed to have lessons outside! Mrs Thorburn was always a hoot! I enjoyed doing the Science Fairs. Enjoyed choir, even though we used to moan about Mrs Sadler.

Less than shining?
Those awful veils we had to wear in the choir. Geography with Miss thingy (starts with D) who played hockey in the Olympics. Trying to get out of swimming week after week.

Do I stay in touch with anyone?
No, sorry! I went to the reunions in London faithfully for quite a few years but never saw anyone I knew so stopped going. We employed an architect who happened to be Annabel & Sarah Villett's father so caught up with them once but that was it.

Did St Cyp's prepare me for life?
Not directly. I think it generally just armed me with a level head and confidence to strive for what I wanted to achieve. The one thing I remember being drummed into me is 'diffferent FROM and similar TO' - it still irks me when the BBC newsreaders say 'different to'!

Outstanding teachers
Has to be Thorby. I remember when she told us all we would be in modern households with dishwashers! That English teacher who wrote a book on mushrooms was a bit crazy. Madame Jager's husband (he came in to do conversation classes with us) - Mmmmm, he was lovely!!

Greatest hopes?
Just to be happy and healthy. We don't want children and are happy with our life with Perks, in a gorgeous house, near the beach.

How is my life different from how I envisaged it 20 years ago?
I assumed I would get married and have kids, and hoped to have a high paying job and a great lifestyle. I have realised you don't need all of those - I now earn less than my first job after Uni, but we have everything we need and have moulded our life around our dreams. It really is true - Life IS what you make of it.

Major achievements
Same as I have said already really - have had the high powered jobs with the stress and they were a means to an end as they funded our housebuild. Paul and I are very happy and still consider ourselves lucky to live where we do, with the life that we lead. I now do a job that I love and am able to work on the house on my days off.

I'm not sure yet if I can make the reunion, but I am offering an open invitation to any of you who want to visit Devon for a few days - we have a couple of spare bedrooms if you want to stay.

email: tracyperks(at)hotmail(dot)com