In the 1950s, the Lawler family move from a house in the streets of Victorian Liverpool to a house in Kirkby. A new town, a new home - and a sea of grey pebble-dash. David's mum welcomes the shiny new future as does his socialist dad - but David pines for the old neighbourhood. Beyond their new home, the once rustic world of the old Kirkby is in fast retreat. Pubs and 'mobile shops', priests and politicians soon clutter the landscape and 'Z-cars' patrol their beat on the lookout for trouble - it maybe a new town but the old problems remain. Soon David's a teenager and he and his 'rock 'n' roll' friends seek fame on the back of a few basic guitar chords, but stardom has other young men in mind and so the world of work beckons. David is recruited into retailing and with his boss, Claude Seeback, helps to launch a revolutionary new type of store - the supermarket. And the years roll by: the Cold War, Sputniks circling in space, 'rock 'n' roll' blaring from pirate radio stations. David's working in an engineering factory and there he meets Harry, a life-changing encounter. Something is stirring in the air - progress and peace? Perhaps - or perhaps not. Leaflet A touching and imaginative account of growing up in Kirkby new town in the 1950s. David Lawler's memoir describes a moment when the rustic world of the old Kirkby was in fast retreat, when pubs and 'mobile shops' had begun to clutter the landscape along with all the new homes. 'Z-cars' patrolled the area - it was a new town but the old problems remained. He describes how a group of young 'rock 'n' roll' lads sought fame and fortune and we watch the years roll by: the Cold War, Sputniks circling in space, 'rock 'n' roll' blaring from pirate radio stations. David Lawler, formerly of Kirkby College of Further Education and later of Knowsley Community College spent much of his life in the Kirkby area and takes a special interest in the development of new towns and in the social implications of their establishment. He was instrumental in setting up the award-winning Acorn Venture Urban Farm at Kirkby. The Farm has special facilities for young people and adults with special needs.