A husband and wife pair who have lived and worked together since meeting in a weekly newsroom 40 years ago are set to retire within a few weeks of eachother.

Southport Visiter editor Jane Daly met group chief photographer husband John on her first day in the office back in 1968.

John, who was once thrown off stage while snapping John Lennon, has taken early retirement after 41 continuous years with Trinity Mirror’s Merseyside Weeklies and their predecessor titles.

And as previously reported Jane, who is also Merseyside Weeklies group editor, will be following him into retirement next month.

John started his career with the papers aged 17 and returned in the late 1960s after a spell freelancing.

Recalling one his early stand-out memories from 1963, he said: “I was thrown off stage in Southport and told I would never work with The Beatles again.

“A police officer wanted to get an autograph from John Lennon and I was trying to get a picture.

“Before I knew it, two security staff grabbed me and threw me into the auditorium.

“I’ve also covered 32 Southport Flower Shows and about 24 Grand Nationals but I wasn’t working on either the false start National or the bomb threat when the race had to be put back.”

The 61-year-old added: “I am still going to be taking pictures. After 41 years, I still enjoy taking photos and will be for various groups and voluntary organisations.”

John with Sefton Mayor Coun Paul Tweed

John started with the then Stephenson Weekly Newspaper group back in 1968 as a raw trainee. He rose up through the ranks and became chief photographer for the Herald, Bootle Times, Walton Times and Maghull Times five years later.

In 1980, he was appointed chief photographer for the whole Sefton group of titles and was immediately given responsibility for re-modelling the darkroom suite at Southport.

John later oversaw the creation of a darkroom facility and set up a new colour photography suite for all the titles.

The upsurge of digital photography saw him seconded to the Liverpool office in the late 1990s to help set up the electronic picture desk and mentor staff through the new technology.

He became picture editor and then group chief photographer for all the weekly titles across Merseyside.

He also served with the National Council for the Training of Journalists as an examiner, moderator and as a member of its photographic working party.

Outside work, John was a president of Crosby Rotary Club, a chairman of Merseyside and Lancashire Field Trial Society and a primary school governor.

John added: “I have been privileged to be able to place on photographic record some of the many great events across our communities where I have seen people at their happiest and also, regrettably, at some of their saddest moments.”

Comments

supasnapper (05/03/2009 11:02:09)
Farewell to a proper photographer. Seems nowadays any muppet with a Boots camera can get a smudge in a paper and put a proper snapper out of work. (cheap cheap)
Good luck John.

lensgirl (05/03/2009 12:12:02)
as an ex freelance some of the out of focus blocky poorly composed rubbish stuff in the weeklies makes me cringe. Seems they will use almost anything “sumitted” without a hint of shame.
Wonder how many true pros like John will still be around in ten years.
Send in your snaps is already under way. As supasnapper said “cheap cheap” and never mind the quality.

Keith Ely (05/03/2009 15:38:36)
I worked with John and Jane both in those very early days and much later. They are both true professionals and I wish them a long and happy retirement. Keith Ely, Medford, Oregon.

Alan Barton (05/03/2009 17:58:21)
Good luck to you both

Alan (06/03/2009 00:09:26)
Made your escape at last John! All the best for many happy years in retirement.
“A former Escape Committee” member who succeeded but is now trying to escape his new stalag!

Alan (06/03/2009 00:09:27)
Made your escape at last John! All the best for many happy years in retirement.
“A former Escape Committee” member who succeeded but is now trying to escape his new stalag!