198 – Mayor in the monkey suit – Stuart Drummond

People from Hartlepool UK are known colloquially as ‘monkey hangers’ – a moniker that stems from the Napoleonic Wars of the 1800s. But this story is about a larrikin mascot in a monkey suit making mayor and breaking records…

Shawn and Mark bring these disparate (but related) stories together to illustrate some business points around seizing the day, fact being stranger than fiction, and judging books by their covers.

Welcome back to a new Anecdotally Speaking episode.

For your story bank

Tags: Risk taking, Leadership, Seize the day, Opportunity

This story starts at 01:42 and ends at 07:48

Napoleonic wars – French v British

Ship Wreck Hartlepool

Only survivors was a monkey

Brits had never seen a monkey or Frenchman before (assumed monkey was french!)

Tried and hanged the monkey as a French spy

Hartlepool folks now known as ‘monkey hangers’ (based on legend?)

Fast forward to the 1999

Local Hartlepool footy club find monkey mascot in Stuart Drummond

Bit naughty, but endearing

Bribed township with bananas for votes

For a lark, ran for mayor and won not once, but thrice

A British record, world recognised

Big turnaround for the larrikin

Can’t judge a book by it’s cover

An opportunity to lead might be just what/all that you need

Fact is stranger than fiction

Seize the day