Published: 04/02/2010 00:00 -
Updated: 11/02/2010 11:00
Retirement has proved exceptionally busy for Penkridge Parish Council chairman Anne Geoghegan.
Not only is she preoccupied with her parish council work, along with her husband Paul, who is also a parish councillor, but she also runs a business in the village, called the Pot Shop, is about to embark on a writing course and on top of that acts as an examiner for the Trinity/Guildhall School of Music.
In fact only a couple of months ago she returned from a three-month tour of Africa doing music examinations in places, such as Namibia and Botswana.
"Retirement! What's retirement? There's no such thing," she laughs as we meet at her Penkridge home.
"I couldn't imagine sitting down and doing nothing. I took early retirement because Trinity said they could offer me world tours if I was free. The first job for them was three months in New Zealand. I've seen parts of the world I would never have seen otherwise." Mrs Geoghegan was born in Stockport where she says she had a "brilliant" childhood. Her father ran a cycle and toy business and her mother was a housewife.
Her parents would regularly take Mrs Geoghegan and her younger sister on outings and trips to various places and to do activities, such as fishing.
She passed her 11-plus exam and won a place at grammar school in Manchester, where she admits she was one of those children who excelled when she felt like it. If a teacher inspired her she worked hard, if not, she didn't.
One subject she did do exceptionally well in was music, and she played piano, oboe and sang. In fact, her former music teacher has been a friend ever since.
Eventually her love of music led toMrs Geoghegan winning a place at the Royal Academy of Music and London University.
She remembers: "It was fantastic being at the Royal Academy. It was totally different to school in that there was no real structure to the days. You did your theory work and history of music at university and the practical work at the academy but your time was very much your own. I was there for four years." When she left the academy Mrs Geoghegan started auditioning for opera companies, doing some singing with D'Oyly Carte, but eventually she decided it was not a secure enough job Anne Geoghegan Businesswoman and examiner so to ensure her future she promptly did a one-year teacher training diploma and then returned to singing.
She gained a number of singing positions, including singing mezzo soprano with the Manchester Camerata and work in various parts of the world.
In the meantime a friend, who was teaching at a school in Manchester asked her if she would help out with a musical production she was working on so. Little did she know she was about to meet her future husband.
"We needed another lighting technician and my friend's fiance said he and a friend would come along and help. The friend turned out to be Paul," she smiles.
"I remember them both being up ladders hanging some lamps and they would be clucking like hens to wellknown songs. We ended up hitting it off.
"We met in March and married in August of the same year." At the time of her wedding Mrs Geoghegan had reached the second round of auditions for the Welsh National Opera but she soon realised she had a big decision to make.
"It is very difficult to maintain a marriage in the opera world. You're travelling all over the world and I know a lot of people who have got divorced because of it,"she says.
So, knowing she had a teaching diploma under her belt. Mrs Geoghegan opted to abandon her Welsh National Opera dream and go into teaching - and it is a decision she has never regretted.
Indeed, soon afterwards in 1971 she landed a year-long job at King Edward VI Girls Grammar School in Handsworth, Birmingham, covering for another teacher who was on secondment. She and Mr Geoghegan needed a temporary home for the 12 months so they found themselves a caravan on a site at Little Marsh Farm in Penkridge.
"It was the caravan site that made us choose Penkridge," she recalls.
A year later Mrs Geoghegan was offered thepost permanently when the other teacher decided not to return, a job she remained in for 23 years, so she and her husband decided to remain in Penkridge and bought a house in Bellbrook. The couple went on to have two children Claire, currently doing a PhD, and Sara, who works for a holiday activity company.
In their spare time both Mrs Geoghegan and her husband, also a musician, and director of music at All Saints Church in Streetly, taught piano to youngsters in the village.
The young pupils even helped them move to a new house in Mill Street, carrying books around the corner for them.
She spent time as a choral conductor with several choral societies, in particular the Birmingham-based Zimriyah Choir, which she conducted at venues all over the country, as well as in numerous recordings and broadcasts.
She also set up Nostalgia Inc, a group of four singers who used to perform old favourites.
In addition she joined the music panel for Trinity/Guildhall College in 1991, examining young music students throughout Britain and abroad.
Mrs Geoghegan left King Edward's in 1994, taking early retirement, and not content with sitting around she began doing more work for Trinity/Guildhall.
In 2000 her mother died and left her some money but before she passed away she told her daughter to use it for something she really wanted.
She says: "The lease on the Pot Shop in the village was up and I decided I wanted to take it on. I kept the two members of staff on and the business continued." And eight years ago, after forming a protest group against plans for play equipment in Horsefair, Mrs Geoghegan attended a number of parish council meetings and realised she was fascinated by it so when the elections came up in 2002 she decided to stand - and won.
A year later she was elected as vicechairman and then became chairman four years ago.
She says: "Being on the parish council is very interesting but sometimes it can be extremely frustrating as there are so many rules and procedures and protocols.
"I find it difficult to switch off sometimes. After a council meeting I often come home and go over it all in my mind and it can take me a few hours." But her time on the parish council has given her many proud moments.
"I'm particularly proud of the food fair we organised at Chillington Hall last year. If it's something I want to do I'll do it."
Not only is she preoccupied with her parish council work, along with her husband Paul, who is also a parish councillor, but she also runs a business in the village, called the Pot Shop, is about to embark on a writing course and on top of that acts as an examiner for the Trinity/Guildhall School of Music.
In fact only a couple of months ago she returned from a three-month tour of Africa doing music examinations in places, such as Namibia and Botswana.
"Retirement! What's retirement? There's no such thing," she laughs as we meet at her Penkridge home.
"I couldn't imagine sitting down and doing nothing. I took early retirement because Trinity said they could offer me world tours if I was free. The first job for them was three months in New Zealand. I've seen parts of the world I would never have seen otherwise." Mrs Geoghegan was born in Stockport where she says she had a "brilliant" childhood. Her father ran a cycle and toy business and her mother was a housewife.
Her parents would regularly take Mrs Geoghegan and her younger sister on outings and trips to various places and to do activities, such as fishing.
She passed her 11-plus exam and won a place at grammar school in Manchester, where she admits she was one of those children who excelled when she felt like it. If a teacher inspired her she worked hard, if not, she didn't.
One subject she did do exceptionally well in was music, and she played piano, oboe and sang. In fact, her former music teacher has been a friend ever since.
Eventually her love of music led toMrs Geoghegan winning a place at the Royal Academy of Music and London University.
She remembers: "It was fantastic being at the Royal Academy. It was totally different to school in that there was no real structure to the days. You did your theory work and history of music at university and the practical work at the academy but your time was very much your own. I was there for four years." When she left the academy Mrs Geoghegan started auditioning for opera companies, doing some singing with D'Oyly Carte, but eventually she decided it was not a secure enough job Anne Geoghegan Businesswoman and examiner so to ensure her future she promptly did a one-year teacher training diploma and then returned to singing.
She gained a number of singing positions, including singing mezzo soprano with the Manchester Camerata and work in various parts of the world.
In the meantime a friend, who was teaching at a school in Manchester asked her if she would help out with a musical production she was working on so. Little did she know she was about to meet her future husband.
"We needed another lighting technician and my friend's fiance said he and a friend would come along and help. The friend turned out to be Paul," she smiles.
"I remember them both being up ladders hanging some lamps and they would be clucking like hens to wellknown songs. We ended up hitting it off.
"We met in March and married in August of the same year." At the time of her wedding Mrs Geoghegan had reached the second round of auditions for the Welsh National Opera but she soon realised she had a big decision to make.
"It is very difficult to maintain a marriage in the opera world. You're travelling all over the world and I know a lot of people who have got divorced because of it,"she says.
So, knowing she had a teaching diploma under her belt. Mrs Geoghegan opted to abandon her Welsh National Opera dream and go into teaching - and it is a decision she has never regretted.
Indeed, soon afterwards in 1971 she landed a year-long job at King Edward VI Girls Grammar School in Handsworth, Birmingham, covering for another teacher who was on secondment. She and Mr Geoghegan needed a temporary home for the 12 months so they found themselves a caravan on a site at Little Marsh Farm in Penkridge.
"It was the caravan site that made us choose Penkridge," she recalls.
A year later Mrs Geoghegan was offered thepost permanently when the other teacher decided not to return, a job she remained in for 23 years, so she and her husband decided to remain in Penkridge and bought a house in Bellbrook. The couple went on to have two children Claire, currently doing a PhD, and Sara, who works for a holiday activity company.
In their spare time both Mrs Geoghegan and her husband, also a musician, and director of music at All Saints Church in Streetly, taught piano to youngsters in the village.
The young pupils even helped them move to a new house in Mill Street, carrying books around the corner for them.
She spent time as a choral conductor with several choral societies, in particular the Birmingham-based Zimriyah Choir, which she conducted at venues all over the country, as well as in numerous recordings and broadcasts.
She also set up Nostalgia Inc, a group of four singers who used to perform old favourites.
In addition she joined the music panel for Trinity/Guildhall College in 1991, examining young music students throughout Britain and abroad.
Mrs Geoghegan left King Edward's in 1994, taking early retirement, and not content with sitting around she began doing more work for Trinity/Guildhall.
In 2000 her mother died and left her some money but before she passed away she told her daughter to use it for something she really wanted.
She says: "The lease on the Pot Shop in the village was up and I decided I wanted to take it on. I kept the two members of staff on and the business continued." And eight years ago, after forming a protest group against plans for play equipment in Horsefair, Mrs Geoghegan attended a number of parish council meetings and realised she was fascinated by it so when the elections came up in 2002 she decided to stand - and won.
A year later she was elected as vicechairman and then became chairman four years ago.
She says: "Being on the parish council is very interesting but sometimes it can be extremely frustrating as there are so many rules and procedures and protocols.
"I find it difficult to switch off sometimes. After a council meeting I often come home and go over it all in my mind and it can take me a few hours." But her time on the parish council has given her many proud moments.
"I'm particularly proud of the food fair we organised at Chillington Hall last year. If it's something I want to do I'll do it."
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