George Abbott decided he should conduct his own exit interview and photographer Graeme Mitchell-Anyon captured the moment with a clever mirror placement. Photo/Supplied
This summer the Chronicle is bringing you another look at some of the best content of 2019. This story originally ran on March 6, 2019
Some readers will remember a time when Whanganui had two newspapers - the Wanganui Chronicle morning paper and the Wanganui Herald evening publication. After the Chronicle owners bought the Herald in 1971, George Abbott found himself in the unique position of being editor of both papers. Liz Wylie talked to his widow Elva Abbott and some former and current staff who remember a very significant era in Whanganui's newspaper history.
Elva met her future husband George while working as a proofreader at the Herald in 1947 and he was working as a copy boy.
Extinct creatures now, copy boys and girls were once employed to carry typed stories from one section of a newspaper to another and many a seasoned journalist started their careers that way.
"George was also working as a runner for the Dominion when he started there," says Elva.
"Harold Low who was the editor at the time said he could not be a delivery boy for a rival paper while working at the Herald."
Elva gave up her job at the paper after she married George and continued to support his 46-year long journalism career.
Young George was intent on beating the rival morning paper to the best local stories and on at least one occasion, Elva was complicit in a successful effort to scoop the Chronicle.
She remembers the story of marathon swimmer Fred Guzwell which George would later recall in his book 46 years of newspapering: & Short Takes published after his retirement.
In 1953, Guzwell, who was named the "human fish" by the Herald announced his intention to swim 150 miles (242k) of the Whanganui River but when he disappeared during bad weather, a search party assembled at Pipiriki.
When he was located "crouched and shivering" at Kahura Landing after swimming almost 96k, Elva conspired with her husband to hide Guzwell at their home in Whanganui to keep the story from the Chronicle.
"So was the full story of yet another unbelievable saga of human hardship to fall into the lap of our morning contemporary? Not this time," wrote George.
"With Fred's connivance, Elva and I spirited him away."
In 1955, George and Elva sailed away to Canada where he worked at the Montreal Herald, the Windsor Daily Star in Ontario and Canada's top daily paper the Toronto Globe and Mail.
"They wouldn't accept his resignation when we decided to come back to New Zealand so his job there may still be open," says Elva.
She found employment doing administrative work at government departments in their Canadian locations.
"I really enjoyed the experiences and made some good friends.
"Our son David was born there and I stopped working before he arrived."
In 1957, when David was 5-months-old, the Abbotts decided to come back to Whanganui after discovering that the chief reporter job was open at the Herald.
They made a memorable trip home in a car described by George as an "export model fancy Ford six passenger country sedan", across the US border and toured the American west coast before boarding an ocean liner bound for Auckland.
As they settled back in Whanganui, Elva says she was content to be a stay at home mother raising David and later his younger brother Christopher.
She maintained a strong interest in George's working life and enjoyed getting to know the staff at the paper.
"There were a lot of laughs and a lot of good parties," she recalls.
"We often had everybody home to dinner at our house and there were some wonderful people."
Former sports editor JB Phillips remembers attending gatherings at the Abbott household and says George and Elva were an "excellent couple".
"Being a chief reporter, then an editor were tough jobs and Elva completely understood that.
"She was a great support to George and all the staff really."
Although George noted little change at the Herald upon his return from Canada, there were rumours of a possible merger with the Chronicle and he was not surprised.
"For one thing, both companies were struggling along with clapped out printing plants and needed to re-equip," he wrote.
Nothing came of it for some years, but then it came with "a God almighty bang".
The swinging 60s would come and go before the "bang" came and many ambitious young journalists or "migratory birds" as George called them would earn their spurs at the Herald before flying off to bigger things.
Elva remembers them fondly as well and particularly remembers Lidia Zatorski who "shot through to be city hall reporter on the Wellington Evening Post."
"She earned the nickname 'Rust' because rust never sleeps," says Elva.
Without a hint of resentment, she refers to a number of young female reporters of the day as "George's girls".
"He encouraged them and helped them to hone their writing skills and he was very good at that."
Carol Webb was one of the "girls" mentored by George and she got a special mention in his book for capturing the attention of visiting Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (father of Canada's current Prime Minister Justin) when he made a lightning visit to Whanganui in 1971.
"Trudeau was being introduced to the Herald chief reporter but Pierre had an eye only for Carol," wrote George.
Webb, now retired says she remembers the encounter well.
"Pierre Trudeau was charming and as I recall, his wife Margaret would have been back home in Canada awaiting the birth of Justin at the time."
George Abbott, she says gave her some very good assignments which she relished as a cadet reporter.
"He would say 'Step into my office' and I thought I was in trouble the first time he said it to me but he was about to give me a great story."
The bang that George had predicted finally came when Chronicle owner United Printing & Publishing bought out the Herald in 1971.
Whanganui Chronicle's current subeditor David Rogerson was working in the Drews Ave building when the Herald staff moved in and he remembers the partition that was erected to keep the two teams apart.
"Each paper had a chief reporter and there was a strict separation for a while but gradually there was a cross-pollination."
When writing about it years later, George Abbott described it as a "Heath Robinson" partition and said editors James Colway and Harold Low were "housed in small rooms well apart."
When first Low, then Colway retired George was asked to take on the editorship of both papers.
"That sounded like sheer bulldust. But if I didn't grab the challenge someone else would, and I'd be nudged aside. So I accepted." wrote George.
Long-serving reporter and former Chronicle editor John Maslin was a sub-editor during the transition and remembers it as a stressful time.
"George handled it very well and I don't remember him ever being grumpy.
"He must have been under a huge amount of stress but he didn't take it out on the staff."
The two papers were fairly well blended when reporter Mary Bryan came to Whanganui and she wrote for both papers.
"I would write a story for the Herald and then I would have to find a different angle and write another version for the Chronicle," she recalls.
"George was very good at determining everyone's particular abilities and he knew how to get the best out of every reporter.
"He was a true newshound and he always knew what was happening in town."
By the time George was established as editor of both papers his sons David and Chris were attending St Augustines [now Cullinane] College.
Along with their school friends, they helped out as copy boys at the newspaper office.
One of those boys was Bernie Whelan who didn't know it at the time but he was about to embark on a long and successful journalism career.
"I got the opportunity through that connection and went on to become a cadet reporter.
"I never thought about it at the time but looking back, I realise it must have been very challenging for George."
Whelan remembers spending time at the Abbott home and says George and Elva were wonderful parents who encouraged their children in academic and social pursuits.
"Elva was lovely – always very warm and welcoming and very supportive of her family."
The year after George Abbott retired in 1985, the Wanganui Herald, founded by John Ballance in 1867, became a free weekly paper and has now become the Whanganui Midweek.
After retirement, George returned to his youthful pursuit of cycling and joined his friend Alan Webby in competitive events such as the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge.
"He did quite well," says Elva.
"He made better times than some men who were 10 years younger and it was good to see him enjoying a hobby because he never had any during his journalism career.
"He never resented that because he loved journalism and I don't think he ever minded going to work."
George Abbott is fondly remembered for his sense of humour as well as his good stewardship and for the titles he gave people.
Although women journalists may not have enjoyed being addressed as "Girlie" and the men may not all have wanted to be "Charlie" none of them seems to have minded very much.
Maslin, as a member of the sub-editing team working with Jim McLees, did not object to being referred to as a member of "Jim's Animal Kingdom."
The ribbing went both ways and Rogerson remembers how editorial staff liked to send up George's practice of putting ticks on story ideas he approved.
"He would open a new notebook or a phone book and find a big tick inside it."
A large cardboard cut-out tick was suspended from the ceiling along with a taxidermied duck that had remained after serving its purpose as a photo prop.
"Certain people would shoot at it with air pistols and even a bow and arrows," recalls Maslin.
George enjoyed it all, says Elva and never regretted spending most of his career in Whanganui.
He died aged 82 in 2006.
And Elva, now 90, is still producing the beautiful oil paintings she discovered a talent for in her 40s.
She insists they are nothing special but one of them has just been accepted as a finalist in the 2019 pattillo Whanganui Arts Review.
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