We arrived late at night in Calcutta. We had a long time in immigration, where they took a particular interest in all the equipment we were bringing in to the country (as well as the wire tranmsitters and colour processing kit – cricket requires very large telephoto lenses and supporting tripods). After that, the ride of a lifetime. There is nothing more exhilarating (scary!) than a ride in a Calcutta taxi late at night. The streets were chaos, and we breathed a sigh of relief as we entered the gates of the Oberoi Grand Hotel – and entered something from the “days of the Raj”.
The next morning, the South Africa team were heading for a photo-call at Mother Teresa’s Calcutta convent. The press bus pushed through the packed streets and we arrived a few minutes before the team. The place was thronged with people and I tried to push through the crowd so I could find out what was happening. As I went, a little hand tugged at me. I turned and looked down and a small lady said “can I give you my business card?”. It was Mother Teresa – and she was handing me a small prayer card. It was a wonderful gift.
“What was the best moment of your career?
I had a lot of fantastic moments, including captaining South Africa when we got back into international cricket [after apartheid] with a tour to India in 1991. When we arrived, the streets from the airport to the hotel were lined with people. It was overwhelming and I thought: “Let’s take another route to the hotel to get out of this environment.” We had to stop every 400m and get out of the coach to do some more speaking to the public. It was an incredible welcome. There must have been about 6,000 people outside the hotel to catch a glimpse of the players climbing onto the team bus. On the trip we met Mother Teresa, and there is a classic photograph of me shaking hands with her. I had the picture mounted on the wall next to my bed. The night she died, the picture fell off the wall. When I picked it up, I thought: “Now, what’s gone on here?” There was no reason why it had come off but it was announced on the news the next day that she had died. You ask yourself: “What goes on in this world?” The work she did helping people was amazing.”
The picture I took of Clive Rice looking as if he was praying featured on back pages around the next day. It was an historic event for sport. I was pleased to be there to record it.
India is a fantastic country. I love the people – and the variety that springs from every street. I certainly experienced many things – including the very worse toilets that I have ever had to process films in (see my post “Toilet Tales – processing film in loos around the world”).
I came home with many memories (and a touch of amoebic dysentry!). I’d love to go back again sometime – it’s a wonderful country.
My last “proper job” was in 1983-5. I was a photographer at the Leicester Mercury. It was one of the most enjoyable times of my life. Working within a community, making connections, then gradually gaining trust and respect is a rewarding process.
In 1981, I started my first job after school as a Trainee Press Photographer at Mercury Press Agency in Liverpool. I’d not bargained for my first week in employment to involve the coverage of some of the worst rioting on mainland Britain. I’ll always remember the phone ringing late at night after the family had […]
I lived in a council house on the ring road in Liverpool (Queens Drive) – and had very supportive parents (although I might not have thought so at the time). I went to a Catholic Boys’ Grammar School, St Francis Xavier’s – I and was very religious (up until the moment I was 18 – […]
In 1985, I was a 22-year-old press photographer in a well-paid and rewarding job at the Leicester Mercury. I had excellent colleagues – and a very comfortable life. However, it was not enough for me – and I wanted to work for National Newspapers and create my own business. So I set out to create […]
It’s amazing how easy it is to take and send high-quality photos these days. You can pick up an iPhone, take a snap and with a couple of clicks send the image around the world. It wasn’t always that simple – here’s a tale from 1985 (just over 25 years ago) when taking and transmitting […]