Page 191 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

converted. We wrapped ourselves around her Aga stove and lapped up her delightful
cooking.
For a little while at least we were away from the frustrations and problems that surrounded
us. We were for ever grateful to Beryl for her kindness.

CHAPTER 36

NORTHCOTE STARTED THIS WAY

1984 had been predicted as a “terminal” year by a popular author many years
previously.

THE END OF ECYB.....a round up of the events to date........

This is a recap of some of the previous chapters where the main issues of the “moment”
were covered briefly.
Here it is all put together.
For us it had been 1983 that resulted in terminal meltdown of our 10 year old tyre
distribution business.
The Uniroyal contract had gone following our final payments of monies owed as a result of
the Loughborough management débâcle. I suppose I had been partly to blame as I had
left Steve Freshney in total charge while I concentrated on the roller-coaster export trade
created by Keith Roe at Fossitt and Thorne at Lincoln.
During those fantastic six months created by the reversal of the value of the £ we had
enjoyed very good earnings. Then tyres had been stolen from our Uniroyal stock at
Loughborough and we, that is myself and Ruth were liable for the loss. Over £10,000
worth of tyres had disappeared.
Freshney found out who had done it, the perpetrator was prosecuted and went to gaol, but
the fact remained, the money had to be paid back.

Drastic measures were taken, we sold the Loughborough depot with its remaining Uniroyal
contract to a friendly local haulier for a token £1 to relieve us of the leases, and we
continued Uniroyal distribution in the East of England. Uniroyal agreed to a fixed
percentage being repaid from our monthly earnings but the writing was on the wall
regarding the whole “entrepot” system. They would eventually stop using independent
traders, I suppose our excessive earnings with F and T’s “black export” was partly to
blame.

This rapidly increasing strain and stress resulted in huge family friction and enforced a
move of depot from home to Horncastle. One of the final meetings with our “then”
accountants was to try and persuade us not to move and ride out the storm at home. It
could not be and Station Yard Horncastle became the new ECYB Base in early 1980.
With the sale of Loughborough, Freshney left and eventually went to work for Uniroyal. His
miserly offer of £1 for Loughborough and its contract after it had been largely his fault that
we were now faced with a colossal sum to repay, had been unforgivable.
Looking at the facts that eventually we would not have Uniroyal distribution as our base

191