Radio Luxembourg was established many years before my birth.

As a youngster, it was a real thrill to sneak the transistor radio to bed with me, settle down under the covers, and carefully tune in to 208 on the dial.

My reward was to hear the latest sounds of the early 60s, with top acts such as the Rolling Stones, Elvis, the Beach Boys and more.

I am sure I wasn’t the only music fan to immerse myself—quite literally.

At the same time, and in the years that followed, boys and girls (if allowed, and sometimes even if not!) would ‘decorate’ the walls of their bedrooms with photos of their favourite pop stars taken from the music magazines of the day. Titles such as New Musical Express, Melody Maker, Record Mirror, Pop Weekly, Sounds, Top Pops and, of course, favourite comics such as Jackie, Mirabelle, Valentine and more. Did you make your bedroom a ‘pop palace’?

Then, in July 1964, along came Radio Caroline North, operating from the ship Fredericia, which was later renamed MV Caroline. It first broadcast about three miles off Ramsey.

The station was so exciting because, at the time, the BBC—who dominated the broadcasting scene—limited the playing of pop music to only one hour each week. Many people still have happy memories of this period, fresh even today.

For me, the establishment of our own ‘Nation’s Station’—Manx Radio—a month prior to Radio Caroline brought things even closer to home.

That we became a participant from our little island in the broadcast world cemented my lifelong enthusiasm for the station.

Broadcasting first from a 30ft caravan shipped across on the cargo vessel Peveril, from a point on Hillberry Road in Onchan (still recognised today by a blue plaque on the roadside wall), the station had yet to be granted a medium wave licence.

It commenced on 91.2 VHF, which only about 10% of the island audience could receive, but reports from the Douglas area stated it was very clear.

As a passionate TT fan even at that age, the fact that reporting from the Grandstand on the TT were Peter Kneale, Dollin Kelly and Jack Quayle from Sulby Bridge, and Ian Cannell from Keppel Gate, struck the right note.

Even though—and I still have my badge to prove it!—I was one of the scouts at the TT Grandstand helping operate the ‘clocks’. History was also made when it was announced that the TT broadcasts were ‘by kind permission of T.H. Colebourn Ltd’, the first commercial sponsor.

The first general manager was John Grierson, and a number of island enthusiasts offered their services, including my good friend, 29-year-old David Callister, Stuart Lord, and a youthful Roger Watterson, who appeared in the caravan to help Stuart Lord spin the records.

Playing records in the studio was fun—well, not always—because the studio was quite high in the air and subject to being shaken by the wind, which caused the needles to jump!

In the summer of 1965, premises owned by Clifford Irving below an amusement arcade and Reece’s Billiard Saloon were rented, with the studio located on the ground floor immediately in front of an aquarium. Do you remember it?

I do, clearly! At this time, two local youngsters—firstly Ewan Leeming, and a few months later Charlie Webster—were appointed.

Ewan went on to spend almost 30 years as the chief engineer of the station. Both were engaged in that capacity, but Charlie moved into programme production and eventually became senior producer.

After the new studios were built by the engineers, their next task was to move the transmitters from Onchan to Foxdale. No remote switch was fitted to the 188 transmitter, so Ewan and Charlie had to share the task of getting up at 5am and driving from Douglas to Foxdale to switch it on in time for it to warm up for the morning programme!

Other personalities at this time included Kris Crookall, whose job appears to have been principally to play records with cheerful chatter, read news items (taken from local newspapers), and conduct all sorts of interviews.

Another was my old friend Peter Kneale, who had a passion for sport of all kinds.

As president of St Mary’s AFC for a long time, I remember Peter being present regularly for our annual general meeting and dinner.

His passion—which I share—was the TT and Manx Grand Prix.

Peter went on to be the chief commentator on the TT from 1965 until his death in 2002, only missing the foot-and-mouth year in 2001, when fortunately the island was not touched by the disease.

The years at the aquarium were successful, and a number of new presenters became very well known.

These included Bernie Quayle, Louise Quirk, George Ferguson and ‘Daffy’ Don Allen.

Bernie started at the Aquarium studios in 1967 after working as a trainee manager for Woolworths in Douglas, Belfast and Liverpool, then as a travelling sales rep, and later spending time in London at the height of the swinging 60s.

At the same time, a vivacious 16-year-old Louise Quirk was appointed. Encouraged by her drama teacher, she applied to Manx Radio for a job, and it was clear she had a natural talent for broadcasting, described as being very cheerful and lively.

In 1967, the Daily Mirror ran an article about Louise and announced that, as a disc jockey, she was probably the youngest in the world.

In due course, she was offered jobs with Border TV and later the BBC, but chose to stay with Manx Radio.

George Ferguson, son of well-known local GP Dr Joe Ferguson, became a fan of pop radio from his early teens onwards, listening to Radio Caroline and often travelling to Ramsey during the holidays to gaze longingly at the pirate radio ship.

It is said that when he was 18 and the time came to leave school, he wrote to the then-Governor Sir Peter Stallard, a golfing friend of his father, asking if he could get him a job at Manx Radio.

Despite turning up to see the Governor in scruffy clothes and smoking a cigarette, he got an interview and a job as a junior presenter at £4 per week, starting in July 1968, two days after leaving school.

‘Daffy’ Don Allen, a Canadian with an English wife and a former presenter on Radio Caroline, joined in 1969 as a senior announcer, replacing Kris Crookall, who had returned to Canada.

Bernie Quayle impressed with accounts of life across the Atlantic, and with a sister Pauline (Christy De Haven’s mum) living in Knoxville, Tennessee, he eventually decided to try his luck in the USA.

The Isle of Man Examiner reported in June 1969 that he had been given the nickname ‘Sir Bernard, Knight of the Turntable’, and in Knoxville he walked across a huge welcome carpet, signing autographs as he went, before being presented with a miniature gold key to the city by ‘Miss Knoxville’.

More another time, but for now, a sincere thank you to Derek Winterbottom for his research for the book ‘A Nation’s Station’. Try and get one—it’s an interesting read.