Dawn Mertens

I live in Waddesdon, with my partner Bill, who is a Probation Officer, my daughter Nicola, who is studying for her A Levels at present, and a mad mongrel called JC (short for JCB, as she is like a little bulldozer). My son, Ady, is studying Automotive Engineering in Oxford, and only comes home occasionally for a decent meal and to fix his car!
After leaving school in Stevenage, I took a two year Business Studies course and subsequently worked as a PA at British Aerospace for three years. I then moved to Aylesbury and prior to children and a fifteen year break, I worked as a Secretary at The Equitable Life (boo hiss from anyone whose pension suffered at their hands) then as Operations Manager at an electronic components distributor.
I joined the EBU in November 1999 as a part time Receptionist (to fit in with school hours) and now work full time as an administrator in the Competitions Department. The most interesting part of my job is making the travel and accommodation arrangements for the Junior, Open and Women’s teams for all the international events.
I had three years of Bridge for All lessons here at the EBU with John Pain, but never actually had any spare time to play. I persuaded my new partner Bill to learn and we now play, once a week together - very badly - at a club in Aylesbury run by Sue Maxwell. Most of my leisure time is taken up with badminton; I play ladies and mixed doubles in the local leagues and I help coach junior players at a local club. I am presently working towards gaining my Level 2 badminton coach award. Bill owns a boat ‘Skipjack’, a Beneteau First 32, which is moored at Portsmouth, so most summer weekends are spent sailing, in my case preferably when it is warm and fairly calm
Some of the questions:
Desert Island – Really Bill would be an ideal person to be stranded with, he was in the building trade before he became a Probation officer, so he could easily build a shelter, one of his hobbies is fishing, so we would not starve and of course we could always build a boat and sail away if we got bored. Having said all that, he is a red head who burns easily and does not like the heat – so in the interests of protecting his health – it would have to be Captain Sparrow (Johnny Depp).
Animal – I would love to be able to fly (without going on an airplane) like an eagle.
Dream Holiday – I love visiting new places, it is just the traveling there that I hate! There are loads of long haul destinations I would like to visit, India in particular, so I can’t wait for the day I can say “beam me up, Scottie” and arrive instantly at a new destination. In the meantime, any warm and sunny island around the Mediterranean is fine.
CD - Paul Weller at the moment
Book – Labyrinth by Kate Mosse– one of Richard and Judy’s 2006 summer reads
Dinner guests – Charles II (lived through, I think, one of the most interesting periods in English history), Marvin Gaye (my favourite singer), John McEnroe (I have watched him play several times at Wimbledon and now enjoy listening to him commentate), and Bill Clinton (sexiest politician) – I should definitely have some fun flirting!