About me and my career in journalism
I have been a newspaper journalist for nearly 45 years. I was born in Britain to Bob, a night fighter pilot in the RAF, and Audrey, who both grew up in the Luton area.
I moved to South Africa after my dad got a job in Johannesburg and became a reporter at The Star, the biggest and most respected daily paper in the country.
After completing a training course, I covered general news and wrote a weekly page dedicated to teenagers.
It was the era of specialist beat reporters and I covered the huge Johannesburg magistrates court before being promoted to cover the Supreme Court.
I was then appointed acting motoring editor, responsible for all motoring news. I tested new cars and covered motor races, including the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Kyalami.
After a spell as a senior general news reporter, which included covering the three-day Methodist Church Conference and a controversial series of concerts by the rock group Queen, I was appointed municipal reporter, covering all aspects of the Johannesburg City Council.
Political reporter
I moved to The Natal Mercury in Durban as municipal reporter. I later became the political reporter, which included covering the 1987 general election. I was also acting news editor.
I was elected a vice-president of the South African Society of Journalists.
I returned to Britain and worked for local papers, the highlight of which was a one-on-one interview with Roald Dahl just before he published Mathilda.
Rugby team
At the daily Chronicle & Echo in Northampton I became a sub-editor and developed what would become a lifelong and sometimes painful devotion to the Northampton Saints rugby team.
I rose to chief sub-editor and then moved to The Journal in Newcastle upon Tyne as deputy chief sub and was promoted to chief sub.
Such posts were then a pathway to national papers and I became a news sub at The Sun.
A chance meeting with a former colleague from The Star, who was working at The Times, led to regular freelance shifts on the foreign desk and then a staff job.
Happy years at The Times
This was the start of 22 mostly happy years at The Times, which included a spell on Letters, Obituaries, Revise and finally the international editions, of which I was the editor.
I left The Times in 2016 for a quieter life and worked for my local paper, the Woking News & Mail, as a reporter and sub and also editor for 18 months.
BBC Radio
During this time I did regular spots on BBC Radio Surrey and Sussex, previewing the following week’s News & Mail and reviewing national papers.
I have been very active in amateur theatre and have appeared in more than 20 productions for South London Theatre in Norwood, the Horsell Amateur Dramatic Society, WAOS Musical Theatre and Rustington Players.
Murder mystery group
I live on the West Sussex coast and in my spare time enjoys paddling my inflatable kayak or acting suspiciously with The Killing Game, a professional murder mystery group. I am married to Helen and have two adult children, two adult step-children and a step-grandson.
