By Conor Sharkey

WHEN I think of the years I spent as a member of Strabane Youth Club today, I remember a time when the pressures of life just didn't exist.

There was no bills to be paid, no fretting over work and almost no women troubles.

Basically, it was a time of innocence, a time to make friends and a time to have fun.

An average youth club evening for me and the lads consisted of hanging about Melvin, eating Chomps, drinking Tip Tops and of course, trying to look cool. And we were only 12.

They were great times and such was my enjoyment of my youth club days, I hung around and eventually graduated to become a junior leader, working under the watchful eye of the likes of John Stewart, Gerard O'Reilly and Jackie White.

As a junior leader, I was handed numerous opportunities that simply would never have come way. Things like camping on an island off the Donegal coast or spending a week sailing on a yacht from Ireland to Scotland and back. All brilliant experiences which I still carry with me today.

As time progressed, I moved up to become a senior leader and eventually to sit on the youth club committee, a position which gets a proud mention on my CV yet.

Looking back, it would be fair to say that had it not been for Strabane Youth Club, I wouldn't have got to know most of the characters I still meet for a pint at the weekend. I wouldn't have had the privilege of learning from the likes of Mary McGarrigle or Marty Gormley, people who continue to provide support and direction for hundreds of youngsters today. And I most definitely wouldn't have the scar on my shin I picked up when I jumped off a chair in Melvin Hall pretending to be a Teenage Mutant Hero Turtle.

I'm 31 now and some of my favourite memories are still of Strabane Youth Club. I would urge every young person to enjoy the same care free times when you can, because, take it from me, they don't last forever.