WHEN I took a walk to view the progress at Queens Quay last week, it was great to see so much work going on and real progress being made.

This massive project under construction will be a real asset to Clydebank and to West Dunbartonshire.

Inevitably, I started thinking of years gone by – when I was much, much younger – and how John Brown’s, the Clydebank shipbuilders, held such a huge fascination for me.

I remember my dad taking me down to the yard one day for a visit and, as we walked along, I asked him where was the ship that they were building and he replied: “Beside you”.

Beside me all I could see was what, to me, looked like a wall.

“Look up” my father said and I looked up at what I thought was miles until I saw the top of the “wall”: that was my first view of the QE2.

My highlight of that day was going into the workers’ tea room and getting given a cup of tea.

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It was black as night and tasted horrible but, all the same, it’s a memory I hold very dear.

Back then living in Clydebank you were destined to do one of three things when you grew up.

You either worked at Brown’s, Singer or Dawson & Downie – which meant you either built ships, sewing machines or pumps.

Sadly, I never got the chance to build any of those because things changed dramatically and the opportunity disappeared forever.

No more will we see thousands of workers flooding into Glasgow Road, on to Kilbowie Road or down Elgin Street.

Those days may be gone but the Queens Quay project does at least offer some hope for the future not, perhaps, to the scale of days gone by, but it gives hope for a brighter future for Clydebank.

Bus drivers do get some rather negative press from time to time, despite doing a valuable and at times difficult job.

There is no doubt, though, that the driver who cleared his bus last week before a fire could spread deserves our praise and thanks.

Despite the risk of life-threatening danger he stayed calm and got everyone off and away safely.

Well done to you, and a message for the company: maybe a wee bonus would not go amiss?