I thought I would have another look at progress since the 1960s and 1970s again this week… Did you have a pen pal?

I think we were encouraged to make such connections in school, though I’m not completely sure.

There is something special about the sound of a real letter landing through your letterbox, and the associated excitement and anticipation of what it may contain - unless, of course, it is a bill!

Some people have managed to maintain pen pals from far away. This week, instead of my usual correspondence coming from emails or text messages, it was good to receive a couple of ‘real’ letters from Ian Ellis and Derek Bridson about my articles in the Examiner. Thank you!

Mentioning a couple of things they wrote about… Ian was making the point about the Bee Gees and how Saturday Night Fever made them global superstars again, and the fact that many people didn’t seem to realise at that time that they were born in the Isle of Man. In fact, some people still get it wrong!

Barry Gibb, in a recent interview with Chris Pearson and Christy De Haven for Manx Radio, certainly made it clear that wherever he goes, he tells people he is a proud Manxman. Christy’s uncle, Bernie Quayle, was a good friend of the brothers Gibb and the Isle of Man ambassador for the band.

Derek mentioned one of his favourite programmes as a boy was ‘Lost in Space’, where the robot had him on the edge of his seat.

He also mentioned how, when he served his apprenticeship at Mylchreests Motors commercial garage, he often worked on the cattle trucks belonging to Eric Leece, which Glen Leece has carried on for many years.

He also remembered Gary and Graham Leece working at E.B. Christians stores.

That branch of the Leece family all had Christian names beginning with a ‘G’, which included, of course, Gillian and Geraldine — a family closely associated with motor sport on our island.

Howard Callow also mentioned one of his favourite TV shows as a youngster, and I did not remember it — a western-themed puppet show created and directed by Gerry Anderson featuring Tex Tucker the sheriff, with four magical feathers given to him by a Native American chief for saving his grandson… ‘Four Feather Falls’. Do you remember it?

Fifty years ago this year, I and my then girlfriend Janet had been to the Port Soderick Hotel, which was a really popular place for live music.

I think the band was ‘Nasty Piece of Work’ — I am sure lots of readers will remember them — and ‘Black Mass’.

Anyway, after the gig we decided to hitch a lift back into Douglas. Unfortunately, we picked the wrong car and, within a few minutes along the Marine Drive, we were heading downwards 200 feet over the top of a wire fence to the beach below. Tragically, the front seat passenger was killed in the accident. None of us had seatbelts in the car, and I held Janet down in her seat.

I remember vividly all the occupants being tossed around as the car tumbled and rolled down the steep bank, and in particular the front seat passenger took the most impact. I must have momentarily lost consciousness because the next thing we knew, we were outside the car.

I calmed Janet and told the other two occupants, who were not seriously injured, to wait. I climbed up the bank and ran back to the Port Soderick Hotel, as there were no mobile phones in those days to raise the alarm. I then returned to the scene and shortly afterwards the police arrived.

The purpose of me remembering this in my piece today was that, in those days, seatbelts were not a legal requirement, and in different times prior to drink-driving laws being introduced, it was commonplace for many to have a drink and drive.

Clearly, looking back, this wasn’t a good idea, and we now have such laws which are rigorously enforced. Indeed, now drug driving is included as an offence. Sadly, none of the other occupants of the accident long ago are with us any more…

I also had the dubious honour of being the first person in the island to be prosecuted when the wearing of helmets whilst riding motorcycles became a legal requirement.

My excuse to the bobby who stopped me was that I was testing a 380cc Suzuki triple machine for a friend, and I needed to physically hear whether the bike was running on all cylinders. He didn’t accept my plea and, in a ‘firm but fair’ way, encouraged me to learn my lesson!

In cars these days, many are fitted with GPS direction technology in the form of apps, etc. Who remembers the time years ago when reliance was on hand-held maps for motorway or off-island trips, which often ended up in wrong turn-offs or in-car disagreement!

I still always use trains rather than drive across, but both my daughters are confident drivers on the adjacent isle.

Typewriters and landline phones have been taken over by mini computers in mobile phones, where, as predicted years ago on Tomorrow’s World, we can see on a mini TV-type screen the person with whom we are having the conversation, even though they can be in a different country.

Remember the first computers used to fill a large space? I think one of the first was at Shoprite offices. I clearly recall my dad’s house phone number being changed from Douglas 250 to 5250, then 625250… Remember the dial which you had to turn around to get the required number?

How about films in cameras? You would take your film cartridge to Keigs or one of the other shops with your fingers crossed, or put them in the post and wait with eager anticipation for their return - often to be disappointed!

Then, in the pubs and places of entertainment, you would have your group photos taken and then collect them from Island Photographics, which also had hundreds of TT or MGP photos on display for you to pick from.

Prior to price tickets, shopkeepers and staff had to have a good memory to remember prices. Now, most of the larger shops sell products with barcodes.

And how about the ‘cash is king’ discussion?

Who would have imagined, after cards became the norm to pay by contactless transactions, that your mini computer mobile phone would become a ‘tap to pay’ implement? When did you last issue or receive a cheque?

And in those places of entertainment which were once smoke-filled environments, now smoke-free, you don’t have to have a shower to get rid of the stink when you get home — never mind the proven health benefits, where in the past non-smokers contracted illnesses because of the atmosphere.

Do you recall fax machines in offices? I actually had one at home, and also remember when contacting the internet all the beeping sounds… Then there was Teletext on the TV, and who could forget the grainy TV images as we watched the moon landing live in 1969… ’One small step for man… a giant leap for mankind.’