Eva Gray, 74, from Dovecot, joined Millicans Opticians on Prescot Road on August 2, 1976, after she was facing redundancy from the neighbouring Civic television shop in Old Swan. She had worked at the television shop for around eight years when Mr Millican, the then-owner of Millicans, came in with an offer that would change the course of her working life. Eva remembers being asked a few questions in the shared back area behind the shops before being offered the job there and then.
Doorstep interview led to new career
Eva told the ECHO: “I was working next door to Millicans, and Mr Millican was looking for staff, so he came in with his brother to see if I wanted a job. They all knew each other on the block, my boss knew him, and he’d told him that we were getting made redundant. He said, ‘Well, if she's interested’, because he knew I'd been in the television shop quite a number of years, and I knew them.”
She added: “My interview was on the back doorstep of the TV shop where I was working. I remember joking that in my new job, I’d be able to repair all the damage I’d done to the television screens. He just asked me a few questions and that, and then said, ‘Would you like to start on Monday?’ and I said, ‘Yes!’. I didn't know whether I'd be able to do it, but he said, ‘We will show you. You'll learn’.”
From receptionist to dispensing assistant
Eva started as a receptionist and remembers her first day was “very busy” and “very strange”, as she learned the ropes. Over the years, she learned from the dispensers and gradually took on more responsibilities, eventually becoming a dispensing assistant. She said there was always variety to the role, with different patients and situations meaning “no two days were the same”.
While much has changed during her 50 years, Eva has remained a familiar face behind the counter as the practice has moved three times along Prescot Road, with Eva witnessing huge changes to the surrounding area too. She remembers a time when Woolworths and Ethel Austin were among the familiar names on the high street; now, many of those larger shops have disappeared.
She said: “There were quite a few shops. There was a fruit shop, Ethel Austin's, Woolworths, they moved across as buildings became empty, everybody seemed to move across. They’ve all closed down now. Us and the Home and Bargain are the only ones left now.”
Technology and community ties
Eva said the moves themselves were “hectic”, leaving her feeling as though she had to “start again” each time, although eventually the new premises simply became home. As well as watching the high street around her change, technology has also transformed the way the practice operates. For Eva, getting to grips with computers was one of the biggest challenges.
She said: “Oh, that was quite difficult for me. The younger ones seemed to pick it up right away, but it took me a while. I got there in the end. Still, there’s stuff I don’t know about the computers now. I just get help from the other girls.”
Despite the changes, one thing has remained constant — the people. Eva has watched generations of families walk through the doors of Millicans, sometimes recognising children she first met years ago when they return with children of their own. She said: “It is strange, but you recognise half of them because they look the same as their parents. You just build up a rapport with people as the years go by. I also live near, so I know most of the people in the area. What has kept me here is that it’s a friendly place to work and no two days are the same.”
Colleagues become friends
In 1985, John handed down the business to his son Brian who ran the practice until his retirement in 2017. Eva is still in touch with Brian, along with two women she worked with in her early days at Millicans. Asked what the team means to her, Eva said: “Everything. They’re more like friends than colleagues. It’s just nice for them to be there, know what you’re going into in the morning.”
Eva has become a mum and a nan three times over during her time at Millicans. She said: “To be honest, I don’t know where the time’s gone. The time has just flown by, it’s gone too quickly. I’ll carry on working as long as I can because it’s nice helping people.”
Jenny Makin, director of Millicans, has worked with Eva for 30 years. She said: “Eva’s pride and commitment and dedication to Millicans has been an inspiration to me and other team members. She has earned trust and respect from patients through her time with the practice. Eva is not only a colleague — she is also a true friend to us all.”
