Manley was born in St Elizabeth, Jamaica in 1950.
When he was 8, his dad left for England and got a job working at a Lyons bakery in South London. A couple of years later, Manley's mum also left for England and got work in the ‘Tri-Ang’ toy factory in nearby Morden.
Manley and his three younger brothers went to live in the Jamaican countryside with their grandparents. He went to school "A little bit" It was strict, and they did a lot of caning in those days.
He also helped out on his grandparent's farm. There were hardly any vehicles in Jamaica back then, so they used donkeys to take the produce to the market to sell.
Manley’s grandfather.
Over in London, Manley's mum and dad had managed to save enough money to get a house and send for their sons. So, in 1964, the four boys were flown to England into London Airport. (Heathrow). An air hostess looked after the boys on the flight. Manley remembers that they didn’t eat much because the British food on the plane looked strange to them.
It was a cold British Winter with thick snow, and Manley remembers the milk being frozen in the bottles on the doorstep. He remembers the smog and the Teddy Boys riding around on their scooters.
Manley and his brothers went to School in Colliers Wood in SW London. He and his brothers were the only black kids there. The new school took a bit of getting used to and initially, there were a few fights, "You had to fend for yourself", but Manley made friends quickly. Like in Jamaica, the cane 'was in force' at this school too.
School got Manley into football. He and his new mates used to cross the river to Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea play, and he still supports them today.
One of his aunty's husbands, who lived in Lewisham, had a Mini. They all used to all squeeze into the tiny car and go to Southend on Sea for an outing. He used to love going on all the fairground rides. It was a great childhood.
Manley (On the right) and his brothers just before they flew to England.
Manley left school at 16. He had learnt how to use a lathe and became an engineer. He worked for many years at Smiths Meters in Mitcham and knew how to make a gas meter from scratch. Manley's surname was Robinson, but everyone at work called him 'Robbo'.
Over the years, he had 19 jobs in total. Back then, you could walk out of a job and into another the next day. Most of the places are gone now. (A Lidl supermarket now stands on the site of Smiths Meters). Manley only ever worked in engineering - he knew how to take a car apart and put it back together again but not any more because they are full of electronics nowadays.
Life was good then. Manley gave his mum and dad a bit of rent out of his wages. He got paid in a little brown envelope and earned around 8 shillings per hour (50p). If he was lucky, he got a pay rise of 1p or 2p per hour.
He'd work all week and then go to dances. They were all over South London. The Brixton Town Hall dance, The Norwood Suite as well as house dances, with 100 people crowded into the room. There was never any trouble, and nobody got drunk. People would have these little glasses of whiskey or rum with a big lump of ice topped up with a splash of orange juice or whatever. Often the dance would go on all night. Sometimes he'd go from the dance straight to work. If he was lucky, he'd 'link up with a girl or get a 'rub up' dance,
Manley's wife Jenny was also from Jamaica, and just like Manley, she came to England in 1964. Manley was driving to work in his dad's Austin Cambridge when he first spotted her standing at a bus stop. From then on, he'd take the same route past the bus stop hoping to see her again. One day, he did, and he asked if she wanted a lift.
After dating for about a year, they married at Upper Tooting Methodist church.
The couple went on to have 3 daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They have been married for 50 years.
Manley has retired now. He's doing okay. He got a private pension from one of his engineering jobs and has lived in his house for 41 years.
He has a genetic condition that means he can no longer use his legs. He started to slow down when he was around fifty. The symptoms gradually worsened as he got older. The condition also affected his brother and his paternal grandmother. She spent much of her life unable to leave her chair, but lived to over 100.
For someone who used to love dancing, swimming, and playing squash (not very well, he joked), Manley is philosophical about his condition. "It's just a thing that runs in the family, and there's nothing I can do about it."
He calls his walker his 'third leg' and uses it to get about. "I've got to keep moving; exercise is what it's all about."
Manley goes out in his adapted car and tries to do as much as possible. He has always gone to church. He went with his mum from when he was small until she passed away aged 89, and he still goes to the local church every Sunday.
He likes to watch football on the TV and, for a treat, will make himself a 'Jamaican Guinness Punch.' A bottle of Original Guinness (Not draft) mixed with Nutrament (A milk-based energy drink) and shaken well with a large splash of rum.
Manley said that the last 69 years he’s spent living in England has been pretty good, and that he doesn't have too much to grumble about.
A few years ago, he took his mum on a long holiday to Jamaica. While they were there, they visited her sister who was celebrating her 80th birthday. It was great that his mum got to see her sister again because about a year or so later, both women passed away on exactly the same day - one in Jamaica and one in London.
Some Jamaicans dream of going back to the Caribbean when they retire, but not Manley, “I wouldn’t go back there to live, end of story. South London is my home.”
