Tony Mulliken - Midas Public Relations
Tony Mulliken - interview
Who are you? Tony Mulliken, Midas Public Relations, London.
How long have you lived in Dartmouth? I grew up in Dartmouth. My father was at Britannia Royal Naval College where he taught squash, tennis and racquets. We lived in Kingston Lane – my father, Robert (who was junior Wimbledon champion – a brilliant tennis player and coach) my mother, Joan, and my sisters Karen and Sara. Both of my sisters went to school in Victoria Road, but I went on the ferry every day to the Homelands Technical High School for Boys. I love Dartmouth and still consider it my spiritual home. My parents left many years ago and I haven’t lived here since I grew up and left home, but I come back and stay all the time. It was a wonderful place to be a boy!
Where do you work? I run a company in Kensington – an arts public relations company called Midas Public Relations. We promote a number of celebrities ranging from Kirk Douglas to Julian Lloyd-Webber, Alan Titchmarsh and David Blunkett. As well as trying to get publicity for their work and their books we run a number of large events, including the Galaxy British Book Awards, the London Book Fair and the Private Eye Awards. Funnily enough my business partner Steven Williams also grew up in Dartmouth. His father, David Williams, was a captain at BRNC, and went on to become Second Sealord. Steven and I knew each other as little boys, and my father taught us both tennis!
Can you tell us about your family? I’m married to Pam and we live in Wiltshire with our two alpacas and a shih tzu. She loves Dartmouth too and we are here as often as we can be. Many of my boyhood friends still live here and we always get together.
What is your favourite walk? I have two clear favourites. Every time I come, one of the first things I have to do is to walk along Newcomen Road out to the castle and back again. It is like a need that I have to fulfil every time I come to Dartmouth. I also like to walk around the town near the Boat Float. That was where we boys spent all our time. There was a café called Glennies where we all used to meet, and from there we would run across the road and dive into the river. Wonderful silly times! We always used to take part in the swimming races in the Boat Float during Regatta.
What is your favourite view? The view from Galleon’s Quay. My good friend Carole Parish used to live there and when we stayed with her I loved the view from my room up the river towards the naval college. She has a house in Stoke Fleming now and like me she can’t keep away!
What is your favourite café? Café Alf Resco – we always have breakfast at Alf’s when we are down, that’s a must!
Do you have a favourite shop? I cannot resist Tiffany’s. Des and Wendy Weekes keep it so beautifully. There are more things from there in my house than from anywhere else. I’ve known Des and Wendy since I was a little boy and I always have to go in there – if I didn’t it would feel wrong! My visit would be incomplete!
What is your favourite pub? The Cherub without a shadow of a doubt, with the Dartmouth Arms as number two.
Why is Dartmouth special to you? All my best memories are here. A lot of people can’t go back to their childhood because it is too painful, or they don’t want to because they didn’t have a happy time. I had the best childhood in the world! My childhood years in Dartmouth between 1961 and 1971 were the best of my life - I loved that time more than anything else. To be close to those people and places is truly wonderful. I still have so many great friends in Dartmouth and every time I come back we pick up where we left off and remember the old stories. I love where I live now, and I enjoy London – but they are nothing like Dartmouth. It is a special place – my spiritual home!
First Published May 2010 By The Dart