Being a journalist does not always mean being constantly on the lookout for hard news stories (although the best reporters have a subconscious awareness for news even when they’re not looking for it). There are times when you can relax, such as an evening at the theatre. There are also annual events, and for weeklyContinue reading “Frolics and firkins at farming fete”
Category Archives: journalism
These feet were made for walking
Looking back over the last 50 years I see 1971 as a turning point in my life. Not just because I celebrated my 21st birthday (although by now 21 was no longer a magic number as in 1970 we were granted the right to vote at 18) or that I had ended my indentures andContinue reading “These feet were made for walking”
A great day to be Welsh and proud
Today was a very good day to be Welsh. The chariots headed to Cardiff and were destroyed by the dragons. A Triple Crown already won and a Grand Slam on the horizon. It takes me back to those glorious days in the 60s and 70s when if we couldn’t make it to Cardiff a groupContinue reading “A great day to be Welsh and proud”
The Mirror crack’d from side to side
There was a time you could hold the Daily Mirror up to the world and see real life reflected in it. Hold it up now and all you will see is the fantasy life of plastic people who, we are told, are celebrities. To my mind a celebrity is an outstanding person in their fieldContinue reading “The Mirror crack’d from side to side”
Following up on a historical story
If you work on a weekly newspaper long enough it is likely some of the people you meet and write about will go on to be famous in the field of their choice. While working in Rhyl many of the people I knew socially, or met as part of my work, were either already knownContinue reading “Following up on a historical story”
Oh mummy, that’s not Boris Karloff
Celebrating the New Year in the Austrian Tyrol was quite a start to 1971 and my time in the classroom was finally over, almost six years after I parted company with my arch-enemy – the demon headmaster of my old grammar school. I still had to sit for my NCTJ Proficiency Certificate but that would,Continue reading “Oh mummy, that’s not Boris Karloff”
Nothing beats a Beetle on an icy mountain road
When you write a feature piece for a newspaper you need a hook to hang it on. After all you cannot do a piece on a school trip abroad and present it as an essay “What I did in my holidays”. I was lucky with my feature on the Rhyl Grammar School trip to aContinue reading “Nothing beats a Beetle on an icy mountain road”
Better to be a big fish than a tiddler
I wonder at times if being a big fish in a small pond is better than being a small fish in a big pond. In one you feel important and have a sense that the little fish are looking up to you thinking: “One day I’ll be the big fish and all the little fishContinue reading “Better to be a big fish than a tiddler”
Kissing frogs is a job for a princess
A princess who wants to find her prince will have to kiss a lot of frogs during the search. A young reporter seeking a page one byline will have to type up a lot of funeral and wedding reports on the way. The late 60s was still a time when weekly newspapers were considered aContinue reading “Kissing frogs is a job for a princess”
Caught having a crafty fag behind the bike sheds
Time to take another trip back in time and find out how young Robin Ace Reporter coped as the 60s came to an end. The first of my block release training courses in Cardiff came to an end and it was time to head home, not just for the weekend but for the next 10Continue reading “Caught having a crafty fag behind the bike sheds”
Robin's Nest 