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Growing up in Goole, many of Ken Blacker's family worked in the shipping industry based around the Goole docks. There were lots of career opportunities for people with the right skills and this is how Ken and some of his school friends came to study at the Boulevard Nautical School in Hull in the early 1960's. Although he failed to get into the Trinity House School, none the less, he finished his studies and soon found himself in the Merchant Navy.

Starting at the bottom, he began learning the skills he needed to rise through the ranks. In the main picture, Ken was eighteen-years-old and is standing on the deck of the Napier Star, part of the Blue Star Line. Days were long and the work was hard. In his early career he would spend many months away at sea.

The Napier Star in dry dock, Montevideo

In his interview, Ken recalls how one evening, the Napier Star ran aground at the mouth of the River Plate in Uruguay. A navigation beacon had failed and the ship lost its way. The ship was stuck for a month and it took quite some effort to get the ship re-floated.

Ken has travelled all over the world. He has fond memories of visiting Japan in the early 1970's and seeing Mount Fuji. He recalls during his visit, few Japanese people had seen Europeans and would come on to the streets to stare at their 'new' visitors.

His trips took him to San Francisco and Las Vegas and the west coast of Africa, where he was advised to carry a gun to deal with any pirates he and the crew might encounter.

Ken Blacker today

It was with some regret poor health forced Ken to retire early from the Merchant Navy as he enjoyed the life and work. Family commitments meant in later years he didn't travel so far or was away at sea for as long but, he says he's had aΜύ challenging and interesting career all the same. Since his retirement, Ken has become involved in the local community around Hull. He's put new skills he's learnedΜύ in management and information technology to good use to improve the lives of residents in the Beverley Road and Sutton Park areas.

He's organised a number of courses for people and although hard work, he enjoys the rewards being involved brings. Ken is currently on various committees and maintains web sites (links on the top right of the page) connected with the groups he's involved with.

In recent years, Ken has taken up painting and was about to join an arts' class until he discovered it was about to close. Undeterred, he started his own group which now has 20 members, some of whom are recovering stroke victims, who benefit a great deal from what it has to offer.