Dear Ed,
This might take some time, I tried the thread on Monoptica but somehow it never took off. there is no forum for correspondents who have a slightly slanted view of the Optical scene, so maybe this could be it??
So let's turn the clock back, always a good ploy for the seniors.
1970's "Optician", you know the thing that comes in the post most weeks. well they had a contributor called "George Nixon" who wrote in the mag about various issues - a sort of "disgusted of Tonbridge Wells" character, well he died but he lives on, so to speak, in tha annalls of Optical anarchy amongst those of a certain age.
Now..... he wrote sort of satirical articles about the life & times of one Jeremy Trial Case (JC -see later) aspirational indy Optom & his battles in the same town with his major contempory & competitor - multiple owner, inheritor of the family business - J.Ashley Winthrop ("Dug" to his mates at Cardiff)- don't believe me? go look in the "Optician" archives circa 1970.
Now, this is where it gets interesting. Digging in the old issues I have come across a few clues as to what happened next. It seems that Jeremy (JC) had some business & personal difficulties resulting in a rather seamy court case in 1974 involving a chainsaw, a rubber jumpsuit and a couple of rent boys. He disappeared from the Optical scene, never to be heard of again. As my old Pappy. always said, never trust anybody with the initials "JC".
And what of J Ashley Winthrop, well quality & character will always out. J. Ashley & his charming wife Mary P. did rather better. The family multiple was sold to a Pharmaceutical Company & they went to live on an island, to invent a Tonometer, & plot the next move. Brainwave - Optical Franchising - set up a Company, Franchise the name to Optoms & Dispensers to give them a stake & wait for the money to roll in.
So the birth of the greatest Optical franchise the world has ever known. Across the length & breadth of Europe, even the World, the famous logo of the inverted gold NHS half-eye indicates the strength & value of the brand. A full-length satirical movie "Supersize PD" although a little critical in parts has ultimately reinforced brand value & trust in the product. All this has rapidly propelled J Ashley & Mary into the rich list, earning international recognition & respect.
So "George Nixon" what were you responsible for, a tale of the times, or a prophecy of what might become. Others will judge - what comes next- wait with baited breath!
forum for "satire"/ libel
-
michel le curie
- Posts: 5000
- Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 11:29 pm
- Location: UK Midlands
-
michel le curie
- Posts: 5000
- Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 11:29 pm
- Location: UK Midlands
roll on time
Animal Rights Protesters picket Edinburgh Optical franchise!!
The Princess Street branch of McWinthrops Opticians has been targeted by animal rights protesters for allegedly supplying an illegal animal product.
Lady Fiona McFee Dowager Duchess of Kirkudbright apparantly broke the front of her reading spectacles, inherited from her father. With typical Scottish prudence in money matters rather than purchase a new pair - "they were good enough for my father, so they're good enough for me"-she marched into McWinthrop's demanding a repair.
Enter Willie McPherson aged 78, still working 8 hours a week as assistant Optical Technician -I can fix those they're real tortoiseshell, I have a slab of material at home from my days at Butterworth's.
Willie takes them home & splices the front with shell producing a brilliant repair all for £15.
The Edinburgh chattering classes being what they are, Lady Fiona soon passes on word of the miracle. However, it was overheard, McWinthrops are using banned product from an endangered animal species, the shell of the Hawkbill turtle.
Spokesperson Mary P.Winthrop protesting the firm's innocence vigorously said "we have done nothing wrong, the repair was from material 50 years old long before the ban"
This did not deter the protesters, until heavy snow dispersed the assembly.
McWinthrop's have made a substantial donation to an un-named wildlife charity
The Princess Street branch of McWinthrops Opticians has been targeted by animal rights protesters for allegedly supplying an illegal animal product.
Lady Fiona McFee Dowager Duchess of Kirkudbright apparantly broke the front of her reading spectacles, inherited from her father. With typical Scottish prudence in money matters rather than purchase a new pair - "they were good enough for my father, so they're good enough for me"-she marched into McWinthrop's demanding a repair.
Enter Willie McPherson aged 78, still working 8 hours a week as assistant Optical Technician -I can fix those they're real tortoiseshell, I have a slab of material at home from my days at Butterworth's.
Willie takes them home & splices the front with shell producing a brilliant repair all for £15.
The Edinburgh chattering classes being what they are, Lady Fiona soon passes on word of the miracle. However, it was overheard, McWinthrops are using banned product from an endangered animal species, the shell of the Hawkbill turtle.
Spokesperson Mary P.Winthrop protesting the firm's innocence vigorously said "we have done nothing wrong, the repair was from material 50 years old long before the ban"
This did not deter the protesters, until heavy snow dispersed the assembly.
McWinthrop's have made a substantial donation to an un-named wildlife charity
-
michel le curie
- Posts: 5000
- Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2005 11:29 pm
- Location: UK Midlands
McWinthrop - press release
Optical super-franchise, McWinthrop's has decided to axe Ronald McWinthrop their Ophthalmically Thyroidically challenged clown mascot, in favour of something contemporary & in keeping with the group's green & ethical aspirations.
A sillhouette of the monk Strabismus, with apologies to Opus Dei's central character in Dan Brown's best selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" and sporting Spurs' Edgar David eyewear - with squint straightened magically by McWinthrop's prescription lenses (buy one pair & get another pair from the same range free, with Pentax lenses, not available in conjunction with any other offer) - has been adopted as more appropriate to the healthcare message of the forward looking eyecare group.
Spokesperson Mary P Winthrop assured those at the launch that Strabismus provided the profile that McWinthrops saw as the future in retail Optics, particularly as an instantly recognisable image was necessary for internet commerce as well as the group's High Street presence.
Check out the latest web-site www.strabismus@mcwinthrop.com
A sillhouette of the monk Strabismus, with apologies to Opus Dei's central character in Dan Brown's best selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" and sporting Spurs' Edgar David eyewear - with squint straightened magically by McWinthrop's prescription lenses (buy one pair & get another pair from the same range free, with Pentax lenses, not available in conjunction with any other offer) - has been adopted as more appropriate to the healthcare message of the forward looking eyecare group.
Spokesperson Mary P Winthrop assured those at the launch that Strabismus provided the profile that McWinthrops saw as the future in retail Optics, particularly as an instantly recognisable image was necessary for internet commerce as well as the group's High Street presence.
Check out the latest web-site www.strabismus@mcwinthrop.com