About Joseph…
Joseph Cooper: Born in 16b St Andrews Gardens (The Bullring), Liverpool city centre in the 1950′s.
St Andrews Gardens (The Bullring)
Done a lot of wonderful and crazy things in my life. Now living in Sweden and trying to make sense of the past, the present and the future.
Left school at 16 with no qualifications, and went into the family business, served my apprenticeship as a butcher. Got married very young, 17, stayed married for 13 years and raised 3 children.
Went into the building trade at 25. Around 30, I had gone through a series of traumas, a separation and divorce, my mother and father had died, and a friend was murdered.
Those were tough times and made me want to change my life somewhat.
I went back to college, and within a year had gained a place at the University of Liverpool, to read for a combined honours degree in Communications, Psychology and Sociology.
During my second year at university I started teaching, part time, to help my finances.
Finished University with a 2:1 degree, (just shows, that I had the ability when I was 16, but the school I was at, seemed only capable of churning out factory fodder, a shame they could not see the potential in me at the time…but the system was, what it was), I went on to to be a full time college lecturer.
Around 36, I became disillusioned with Government cuts in education, it seemed running colleges in the UK at the time, was more about cramming classrooms with income revenue, than quality of education, so I decided to leave teaching, and do something completely different, another rebirth, another fresh start.
Tear it all down and start again.
I sat down and wrote my resignation letter, left teaching, and went to make a documentary film in Turkey.
Upon my return, I secured a job for a satellite broadcasting company in Regent Street, London, as a producer. The company later based me in Brussels, Paris and Copenhagen. I particularly enjoyed living in Aalst and Ghent during those years, some very fond memories.
In 1998 I met a Swedish Journalist and in 2005 we married and moved to Sweden to start a family, in July 2011, my wife and I, by mutual agreement, decided to get divorced. We have two beautiful children and I want to make a life in Sweden to be close to them.
So currently, I am building a new life as a single person out in the quiet Swedish countryside.
Building a new life, meeting new friends, a fresh beginning.
I am proud of my roots; Liverpool, Irish.
My strengths and my weaknesses, are probably based in those roots, upon reflection both my strengths and my weaknesses are well known to me now, and I have learned through experience, how to use both to my advantage.
So, ever the existentialist, taking each day as it comes, I am looking forward, to what life brings along. Life is……..
Onward and upward to the next chapter……….:-)
So good to see your new website and hear good news. If you want to send any film /video footage about the city for possible display in new Museum of Liverpool, that would be fab. All best from colleagues here (John now retired but in touch) Julia
Hi Joseph
I was born in the ‘Bullring’ in 1966 to parents Margeret and Willy Dooley, my mom has past on but my father stays within walking ditance of the ‘bully’ as we know it. Very tough but community spirited area to be brought up, snotty noses and scraped knees were the order of the day.
Great to read of your travels and achievements, I still have contact with a handful of people from the Bullring community and will drop your name at the local pub were a number of people are still around from your time at the bullring.
I am now living in Cape Town after extensive travels throughout Africa, but the Bullring fro me was the ‘wildest’ place of all.
Take care and all the best
Hi Joseph
I’ve enjoyed reading your inspirational story, and being a member of your great guitar club. So pleased I can call you my friend.
Steve
Hi Joseph,
Pleased to meet you. Really, I like people like you. I’m very happy we can almost talking by computer.
Thank you for you club !
Thank you Miguel it is a pleasure to have met you as well…..I really enjoy your guitar playing……also glad you are enjoying the club.
Hi Joseph
People say some wonderful things about you. Your still one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Neither of us had a great childhood I’m afraid but we were both lucky we found each other. Hope your Guitar playing is coming on well. I’d like to have more time for it but still working unfortunately. I was off sick for a while last year but had double vision, so practicing Guitar was near impossible.
Sorry to hear about your illness, keep on battling as I know you will. I’m still hoping to finish work in the near future and hopefully will find more time to keep in touch with friends. Time is precious.
Take care
Michael
Hi Michael, great to be in touch mate. I also was glad of our friendship back in the day, and even though we have not seen each other for many years, you are a friend for life. Hope we can meet up again one day. Very best regards Joseph