Things are shaping up well for the Mercury editorial reunion event on Saturday, 15 September 2012.
The event will follow the Mercury’s office move from 93 Macquarie St to Salamanca Place and will include a walk-through of the old building. To comply with modern marketing expectations, the event has been ‘branded’ BACK2MAC (in recognition of the location rather than promoting any former employees who may have ‘Mac’ in his or her name).
The tentative program is:
3.30pm Tour old Mercury building
5.00pm Pre-dinner drinks at Maloney’s (aka Montgomery’s Hobart Hotel)
7 for 7.30pm Dinner at Hadleys including guest speaker and random reminiscing
Slide show of historic front pages, images and graphics
We are very fortunate that Tim Bowden, a cadet at the Mercury in the 1950s before deserting to the ABC, has agreed to be guest speaker. Tim records some great Mercury tales in his book ‘Spooling Through: An Irreverent Memoir’ (Allen & Unwin) and probably will relate others too defamatory for publication.
Now down to business. The cost of the dinner has to be confirmed, but drinks will be paid for individually at both venues. Of course, partners are welcome. Full payment for the dinner will be required in advance and details will be provided later by email.
In the meantime, please alert any former Mercury editorial staff to this event and forward their contact email to John Ellsmore, [email protected], tel 03 6224 6219, or Ingrid Harrison, [email protected], ph 0418 342 450
Also, if you have any images or graphics from the ‘old days’ that may create interest or embarrassment, please scan them and email to John or Ingrid.
UPDATE:
You can now book your place at the BACK2MAC Mercury editorial reunion on 15 September 2012. (details below)
And, please pass the form on to other old – perhaps should that be former – colleagues who may not ‘do’ the email (yes, there are some!).
The reunion exercise has already proved beneficial for some Mercury survivors who have used the email updates to contact former work associates directly. In this way, some colleagues have made contact with each other after many years in the wilderrness.
Planning for the event has also thrown up some interesting historical records as well as a sea of personal reminisces. One story that links past with present is recounted below. Other accounts – either factual or tabloid – are welcome.
DID YOU KNOW #1
Attempts to influence the Tasmanian Parliament began long before Edmund Rouse’s bid in 1989. In the best tradition of north-south rivalry, Examiner proprietor Rouse was anticipated 121 years earlier by Mercury owner John Davies. In 1868 Davies hired MHA John Donnellan Balfe as editor on condition he did not drink and voted in the House of Assembly “consistently with his editorials”. Balfe breached the former condition after four months and was sacked. But Parliament found the second clause had breached parliamentary privilege. See this link http://www.mercurynie.com.au/print_museum/editors.htm
For those who recognised the name Balfe, yes Barrie Balfe (Mercury 1948-90) is John Donnellan Balfe’s great-great grandson. After John Balfe’s short career as editor, the next family member to join the staff of the Mercury was Barrie’s father, Eric John (‘EJ’) Balfe. ‘EJ’ was widely acknowledged as a great political roundsman. Barrie’s uncle, Harold ,was also a journo and became editor of Smiths Weekly and later a casual with the Argus, where his son Nigel was sports editor.
Barrie (government roundsman and associate editor of the Mercury) was awarded the Kemsley Empire Journalist Award in 1956 and spent a year in the UK. He succeeded Dennis Hawker and Graham Perkin as the Australian’s Hobart rep. In those days, the paper had a policy of training young journalists in just about every facet of journalism. Barrie says he has never regretted his choice of occupation. He’s looking forward to meeting former colleagues during the BACK2MAC tour of the Mercury building on 15 September. But he can’t make the dinner – he’s celebrating his 83rd birthday! All the very best, Barrie.
See you there . . .
Neville Heydon
Meanwhile,
28 July is the 28th anniversary of the death of The Saturday Evening Mercury.
Neville Heydon wrote a story for SEM bemoaning its demise. It was not published.
Download to read:
SEM_obituary.pdf
DID YOU KNOW? #3
Reference in Did You Know? #2 to Barrie Balfe’s Kemsley Empire Journalist Award in 1956, following Dennis Hawker and Graham Perkin as Australia’s representative on the scheme, was a reminder that long-serving Mercury man Wayne Crawford was another to earn an overseas study honour.
After the Empire Award (not to mention the empire itself) had had its day, Wayne won a Commonwealth Press Union Scholarship in 1973. In the lead-up to the BACK2MAC reunion on 15 September, Wayne shares his recollections of 39 years at Macquarie Street:
The CPU scholarship took half a dozen or so of us from Commonwealth Countries (Nigeria, New Zealand, Bangladesh, India, Lesotho etc) to the UK for a six-month stint to study newspaper production. I had won the Walkley Award for the best newspaper story the previous year and was offered the opportunity to take up the scholarship.
With the generous sponsorship of the Mercury and the support of the likes of Dennis Hawker and G.F.Davies, I was able to take my young family on the excursion, during which I had had the honour of meeting and studying at the feet of, among others, the great Harold Evans (at the time he was editor of the Sunday Times and coincidentally had been the boss of a couple of esteemed journos who I counted as friends, Ben Hills (also ex-Mercury) and the great Phillip Knightley, who distinguished himself on the Times’ Insight Team, breaking the thalidomide and Philby stories to name but two.
I stayed on at the Mercury from 1968-2007, as political roundsman, Chief of Staff, weekly and daily columnist – nearly 40 glorious years during which I experienced the very best of the newspaper years with typewriters, copy-takers, smoke-filled newsrooms, and subs who used blue pencils.
I wouldn’t like to be starting out now ? I doubt I could keep up with daily blogs, let alone the tweets. I was proud to have worked with Barrie, with whom I still have occasional contact, and the likes of Dennis and Ben Hills, fine journalists who taught me a great deal about the news business. – W.C.
The sketch above of Wayne Crawford is taken from a 1978 booklet published by E.R. Howroyd, MHA. Other Mercury personalities featured in the booklet include Joerg Andersch, Kev Bailey, Jim Burns and Mal Williams.It is not known if the publication was a commercial success.
REMINDER: To book your place at BACK2MAC, complete the Booking Form attached and forward payment. Booking inquiries to Ingrid Harrison [email protected], tel 0418 342 450.
See you there,
Neville Heydon
First published: 2012-06-25 12:28 AM
BACK2MAC BOOKING FORM
Please book me in for the BACK2MAC Mercury reunion on Saturday, 15 September 2012.
Name:
Years at Mercury (e.g. 1970-80):
Position(s) held (e.g. reporter, artist):
Name of partner (if attending):
Comment:
Bank details: Please transfer payment of $55 per person for dinner (drinks to be paid for individually) to I M Harrison, CBA, 067002 (BSB) 28068375 (account number), putting your name in the appropriate ‘details’ field.
Please complete this form and return it to [email protected].
