Being A Woman
Driver on Dial-a-Cab
In November 1997, Call Sign spoke to Lorraine Davey (L16) about how it felt to be one of a tiny minority - a female driver in an organisation filled by men who are supposed to wear mufflers and cap! We thought it was time for an update...
Originally inspired by her father, Lorraine has been on Dial-a-Cab since July 1995 (happy anniversary, Lorraine!) and a licensed taxi driver for seven years. During that time she has noticed a subtle change in public attitude towards female drivers. In her early years as a cabby, passengers would occasionally describe her as being a 'woman driver'. Commenting on that, Lorraine told Call Sign:
"Nowadays, people are more likely to see you simply as a taxi driver - not drawing any distinction between male and female at all. Perhaps some tourists are still sometimes taken aback, but nowhere near as often as they used to be."
"Other women sometimes feel safer with a female taxi driver, but apart from that there's no real difference," said Lorraine. "I don't expect any preferential treatment - nor would I welcome it," she added.
As for any drawbacks? "Personal safety, especially after dark, can be a problem" admitted Lorraine, "but I rarely work at night, which maybe I would do if I were a male."
However, she agreed that she'd rather keep her evenings for socialising anyway, so it wasn't that much of a disadvantage and it perhaps helped Lorraine to make the decision of which hours to work.
Does Lorraine ever feel
She admits that having to use physical strength in relation to heavy deliveries etc can sometimes be a problem, equally admitting that it is harder for a female to lift heavy objects, but then an older male driver could have the same problem, Lorraine points out with a wry smile.
Most of Lorraine's peers have no problem accepting her as a taxi driver rather than as a lady cabby, but she does have a strong group of female taxi driving friends - so maybe life as a female cabby is just as good as life as a male cabby - even if mufflers and caps don't suit them quite as well as us males!
Mrs Jery Takes
the Honours!
BA(Hons) For Barbara Craig
Barbara Craig, the wife of former Call Sign Editor and now brilliant
cartoonist, Jery (C3), has received a BA (Hons) degree. It took Barbara
(seen in the photo being congratulated by hubby) six years of hard study
to complete the degree and not surprisingly, she was full of smiles after
the ceremony which was held at the Open University in Dublin.
Perhaps even more amazing, Barbara didn't start the degree
course until she was in her mid-fifties and must be the youngest looking
61 year-old that we have ever seen!
Our fondest congratulations to you, Barbara, and good luck
for the future because, knowing you, this degree was far from being the
end of the line. Is there room for a Professor Craig in your family,
perhaps...?
REMEMBERING THIRTY YEARS AGO
"One Small Step For a Man..."
"... one giant leap for mankind." This
well-used quote was coined exactly 30 years ago on July 21 when astronaut
Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon.
Born in 1930, Armstrong became a naval air cadet in 1947,
then a civilian research pilot for the NACA (National Advisory Committee
for Astronauts) and later for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration).
After joining a space program in 1962, Armstrong blasted off
in Apollo 11 with fellow astronauts Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin and Michael
Collins. Four days later, Armstrong landed the 'Eagle' lunar landing
module at the edge of the Sea of Tranquillity on the moon with another
phrase that the world will never forget - "The Eagle has
landed."
The team spent 21 hours and 37 minutes on the moon collecting
soil and rock samples and taking numerous photographs. The intrepid trio
splashed down in the Pacific eight days later and helped begin a new era
in space exploration.
