School of rock ‘n’ roll!
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A FORMER PE teacher who taught at two schools in Dewsbury has recalled the time he managed to persuade a world-famous band to take on some of his students in a game of basketball.
Bernard Preece, 72, known as ‘Bernie,’ taught at Westborough High School in the 1970s before moving to St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy in 1980.
During his time at Westborough, Bernie was also employed at the Batley Variety Club.
The 72-year-old operated the lights at the venue, which in its heyday was welcoming stars such as Louis Armstrong, Dame Shirley Bassey, The Bee Gees and Tom Jones.
But one particular act stands out in Bernie’s memory. During one of his shifts at the club, which the retired PE teacher recalls to be sometime between 1974 and 1975, Bernie started chatting to Phillip Luderman – the then manager of The Drifters with singer Johnny Moore.
“I was upstairs with Phil and he turned to me and said: ‘The boys are bored, they have nothing to do,’” said Bernie.
“So I suggested he bring them to Westborough High School, where I was teaching at the time, to play basketball against the sixth formers – he thought it was a great idea.”
Sure enough, The Drifters took Bernie up on his offer and just days later the group turned up in the school’s car park.
Bernie said: “School had just finished when this limousine with blacked out windows turned up and The Drifters got out.
“That turned a few heads down Stockhill Street!”
The school had sold tickets to some of its students in anticipation of The Drifters arrival and crowds of excited teenagers crammed in to watch the game.
But there was to be no giantslaying as Westborough’s team, which was made up of both staff and sixth formers, were on the wrong end of a ‘whooping.’
“They whooped us at basketball but then we played them at volleyball and we beat them,” said Bernie.
“It was just for a bit of fun and it’s nice that the kids could say ‘I’ve played basketball against The Drifters.’ The Drifters absolutely loved it and spent loads of time talking to the kids afterwards and signing autographs – it was a really good evening.”
Bernie Preece later returned to the school as a supply teacher before fully retiring in 2016.