Bob Deegan

by Dr. Iain Corness

Bob Deegan is a fairly new settler in Pattaya, though he has been coming here for 11 years. “People say it was a brave step,” said Bob, “leaving everything in the UK, but it wasn’t. I had no ties in the UK. (Now) I can sit and read a book. I’m never in a hurry. I don’t have tight schedules. I’m going to stay here as long as possible and enjoy life!” And part of that enjoyment is his radio program on TRS (Tourist Radio Station) 103 FM which he does twice a week. Bob has also been on the front page of the British Daily Mirror, for charging Diana Dors, a one time sex symbol in the UK.
Bob was born in England and the family moved down to Surrey when he was four years old. The youngest of three children, he grew up with a keen interest in sport, soccer and tennis in particular, and could not see much to interest him academically. “I was clever enough to get through without too much work,” said Bob. That was enough to get him to his O levels, but he had no idea what he wanted to do with them! He left school and there was a job offer of working in a sports store, so the 16 year old became a sports store counter jumper. This did not do much for him either, and when he saw a position in a chemistry lab in Surrey University, he thought he would try that.
For the first time he became interested in the academic side of life, and the university sent him to the local polytechnic where he studied for two years to get his City and Guilds certification as a laboratory technician, returning to the university to work in their lab, where he spent the next two years.
This was just a daytime position, but Bob had plenty of other interests. He was enjoying doing his own radio shows on the local Guildford radio station and he played guitar in a band and was doing local gigs. His group wrote their own music and was even offered a recording contract, but that fell over when the other band members could not agree to terms, so his brief moment of glory was just that. Very brief!
However, ‘briefs’ were to become part of his life. A friend, who was a bit of a lad, had joined the police force, and told Bob what a great fun life it was. “If he can get in, I’ll give it a go,” thought Bob, and applied and was accepted. Ten weeks later he was Bob on the beat, or as they say in the UK, a Bobby on the beat.
“It was a big responsibility,” said Bob. “You are supposed to have a ‘parent constable’ for a month, but there was a shortage of manpower and after one week I was on my own. You know how people are, they believe that as a policeman you’ll know what to do.” It was during this time on the beat that he asked a woman to move on, when parked on a double yellow line. With bad grace she did, but then stopped in a No Parking area, and when moved on from there, drove the wrong way down a one-way street. Eager policeman Deegan then issued a ticket to the miscreant, who then turned out to be British sex star Diana Dors. The Daily Mirror front page story began with “Fresh faced Bobby …”.
After a couple of years of pounding the pavements Bob was invited to join the CID, which was what he had always wanted. DC Deegan (Detective Constable) was up and running. I asked Bob if the TV dramas we see are representative of life in the CID, and he mentioned “The Bill” which is apparently very realistic. As a DC, Bob worked in plain clothes, “I’d be put out at the sharp end in jeans,” said Bob. “I’d be involved in everything, including drugs, burglary and surveillance. At that age it was great fun,” said the ex-DC.
After more than a decade in the CID, Bob moved over into private enterprise, working for a commercial security company in London that was involved in looking after the European Bank. He rose within the company, eventually becoming responsible for many areas in Europe, which saw him organizing conferences in Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. However, as he approached 50 years of age, Bob had other plans for his life. These plans included Pattaya.
In 1995 he was planning a vacation and his local travel agent suggested he try Pattaya. He was newly divorced and decided to give it a go. He just couldn’t believe the lifestyle. “I just loved the sunshine, the Thai culture, Thai people and the quality of life.”
He loved it so much he kept on coming back at least once every year, and sometimes twice. “My brother came over on one trip and said it was like he had been dead for the past 40 years!” Bob made his decision that when he turned 50 and his private pension was due, he was going to come to Pattaya to live. Three years ago he bought a condominium, so when the time came, he had his residence.
However, for someone who has been active all his life, it is not possible to come here and just sit on the beach and read a book. Something is needed to stimulate the brain. Towards that end he undertook a TEFOL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and even did some teaching in one of the government schools, but when he met a chap who spoke about radio opportunities, that interested Bob much more. It was Radio Guildford all over again, but the climate is better! If you want to hear Bob Deegan’s take on life and music, you can catch him on TRS radio 103, Monday and Friday afternoon 1-3 p.m.