Martin R Oliver 
Happy Jack 

Happy Jack: Reflections of Growing Up During the Sixties – A Decade of Rebellion, Change and Defining Moments are the memories of a young man from a working-class family coming of age during the sixties decade, and the many iconic moments and sometimes humorous events of that period.  

Over fifty years later, people still talk about the Vietnam War, the moon landing, Woodstock, Monty Python, the music of The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones. James Bond movies continue to be popular to this day. There were the Mods and Rockers, The British Invasion, The Hippies, Pirate Radio, The Civil Rights Movement, Che Guevara, and JFK’s assassination.      

The stories portray school, factory, teenage years, family life, and summer holidays, before colour TV was introduced and the internet, email, mobile phones, laptops and gadgets were ever invented.

These stories are for the younger generations to understand the decade that became known as “The Swinging Sixties”, and our youth-driven Cultural Revolution, which saw a surge in freedom of expression, a time when working-class youth challenged authority, a time of creativity in fashion, music, photography, art and technology that went on to change the world.

The stories are also for those that, like myself, grew up or came of age during that tumultuous time, who will relate to my stories and the challenges of the sixties’ generation. My observations may not always be correct and, yes, your recollections might not be the same as mine; maybe I didn’t mention Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Presley and some important events that were important to you, but I make no apologies for that. These are my recollections of that time, which I hope will bring some fond memories and nostalgia.                                  

– Martin R Oliver