THE ART OF A NEWSPAPER MAN
I know some people think that all that matters happens in the big smoke, but as someone who has lived in the country for over 20 years I can assure you that is not the case. Take the local newspaper for instance The Plains Producer situated in Balaklava which has thrived serving the local district. Current circulation is 2,500 with more than 7,000 readers, spanning an area as far as Virginia in the south, to Snowtown in the north, although the paper is for sale much farther and wider than that. (They also these days publish a free monthly newspaper, Two Wells Echo).
The Plains Producer was founded in 1903 under a different name and then had several reincarnations before finally being taken over by Roger Manuel in 1983. His wife Margaret took over in 1995 after the sad passing of Roger and did a fantastic job and now their son Andrew is continuing in their footsteps with the same passion and vigor.
Terry Tomcat smells Good!
ACRYLIC PAINTING
However it is the present Editor of the Plains Producer Terry Williams that I would like to tell you about – you see he and another Terry (a tale for another day) was my inspiration for this acrylic painting “Terry Tomcat”. Although Terry says he is more of a Paco Rabanne or Yves St Laurent type of guy!!
ARTISTIC WRITING
So Terry and I go back in the “day” to when newspapers were constructed in huge rooms full of desks overflowing with note books, papers, photos, pens and coffee mugs. Where reporters, photographers and passersby mingled, argued and swore. Before the political correctness was even thought off and cigarettes was firmly held in mouths as the clatter of typewriters filled the rooms and of course it goes without saying that at knock off time there were a few beers to be had at the local pub too. You see Terry is one hell of a “newspaperman” one of those guys that gets right into a story and builds a narrative and also calls a spade a spade when ” it” is one, lol. He has the knack of telling it how it is, in an everyday fashion which is very appealing.
THE ART OF THE FEATURES EDITOR
He has worn many hats over the years starting out as a copyboy in 1968 with the News Limited and going up through the ranks to Features Editor. In 1983 Terry and his gorgeous wife Lee (and she still is today) had their first “tree change” leaving Glengowrie where Terry was born and raised and together with Lee’s sister Tania bought the lease of the Terminus Hotel in Balaklava, which they ran for 3 years. Once a newspaperman always a newspaperman I recon, as they returned to Adelaide and bought a couple of news agencies (one of them was the big one Read All About it, at the Myer Centre). Terry divided his time between the businesses and the Sunday Mail, being lured back there by the then editor Rex Jory, before becoming the assistant Editor of the News in 1990.
THE COLOR COPY
Terry says his highlights from those days were helping bring color to newspapers in the early 90’s, redesigning the look of The News and at the same time working as assistant editor. Fulfilling the job of Sporting Editor of the News – with a stint as Sporting Editor at the Brisbane Sun during the Commonwealth Games of 1982 and also working as a Chief of Staff at the Sunday Mail. However it is when you read between the lines of what Terry says that you find out where his highlights really lie – it’s not the career achievements (and as you see there has been a lot) that matters to him. It is the people that have crossed his path and the ones that walked with him along the way that really matters (see below the long list of names he mentioned). So I understand now why I always like to read what he writes – he is a passionate man with a warm heart and a way with words!
I said to Terry just recently that sometimes I wonder why you tucked yourself away in the country, when the whole world could have been your oyster. His answer was; that he is back here through a range of circumstances, culminating in coming back to help out two days a week while Roger Manuel became ill. That arrangement was in place from 92-98 when Margaret Manuel took over until she retired and then Andrew (son) took over the helm.
ARTISTIC AWARDS
Terry was appointed the part-time Administration Officer of the Country Press Association of SA (organizing all SA country papers)all this whilst still also running his news agencies too, followed by a year of being the Editor of another country paper the Bunyip, so there was a lot of driving involved. As it happened he was then again offered the job as the Editor of the Plains Producer in early 2005 and the “tree change” back to Balaklava was set in motion. The Plains Producer won BankSA Best newspaper award (circulation under 5,000) in 96, 99,00,08,09 and Terry won an individual award in 2009 for Best Editorial writing for his columns. Terry is turning 60 this year and admits to thinking about fishing a little more often in the future and who could blame him for that, although I’m not that sure – once a newspaperman always a newspaperman!
So here is a quote I think fits well here by Earl Warren;
“I always turn to the sports section first. The sports section records people’s accomplishments; the front page nothing but man’s failures.”
Till next time happy painting and sculpting and writing to you all,
Love Marie xxx (c)
Footnote;
Here is a list of some of the people that Terry worked with and highly admired. “Great journalists like Rex Jory and Tony Baker, editors like Ron Boland, Kerry Sullivan, Peter Wylie, (now chairman of Advertiser newspapers) John Hartigan (was editor of the Daily Sun in Brisbane – now Chairman and CEO of News Limited in Australia), Roger Holden (was the last owner of The News when it closed in 1992 – March, coming up to 20 years next year!). But also great mentors like the brilliant football writer Lawrie Jervis, – a doyen of sports writers but also a great reporter of politics and more – Marty Ryan, a great sub-editor, Alan Shiell, one of the best sports writers, Murray Nicoll, brilliant reporter, Geoff Jones, Doug Steele and Mike Quirk, all top Chiefs of Staff at The News and journalists who knew their craft and took so many young journalists under their wing (many of the names you see in the national media today were helped by these people at The News), photographers like Ray Titus (just retired), Bert Stansbury, Ian Coventry, Michael Conry, Ray Grimmond, Dennis Rogers … and many more”.
Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALEand SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES. Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.
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