Patrick Massey

There are some people in your life who once you meet, and are aware of them - like a favoured beloved byline - you always turn to.

That was Patrick J Massey.

In my early early years - months - with Reuters, when I was struggling to work out what the hell was Reuters “style”, Pat was a beacon.

How could you write a lead para that was accurate, interpretative, colourful, sourced, knowledgeable, passionate, stylish and less than 30 words?

Just read Patrick J.

Maybe it is an apocryphal yarn but the greatest lead I have EVER EVER read - not just on Reuters - I credit to Pat for his story on the inaugural flight of Concorde.

“I flew through the sound barrier today and not a ripple crossed my Martini.”

I’m sure they are not the exact words Pat wrote, but my God the mood that the para evoked - the key to any great Reuters writing - has always stuck with me.

It didn’t have to be short like a Pat or Arthur Spiegelman or Jimmy Pringle or Ron Thomson.

It could be long like a Ronnie Batchelor or Nobby Clarke or Ronnie Farquhar who could write a four line intro and it seemed like a two line intro.

It was the words, the positioning, the mood, the control of their craft.

They were all just natural story tellers, whether in words on paper or in conversation, which in a funny way I think is how they wrote, short or long.

And, of course, they all had the humour and insights of kind and loving rascals - how else could they write so magically?

For just a year I worked directly with Pat on London Bureau and fortunately The Sarge, who has known a rascal or two in his time, was the Bureau Chief.

“Where is Mr Massey?” he would inquire.

In true young honest gullible innocence I would reply: “He’s around Allan ‘cos his glasses (always identifiable black rimmed) are on his desk.”

“So he’s at the Golf Club then,” Sarge would answer.

Years - decades - later when Pat had retired, he had a pacemaker installed and came through Tokyo to see his son where I was then based I asked:

“So, Pat, what’s it like having a pacemaker?”

“Ah, it’s not a big deal,” he said.

“I just have to watch out when I walk past a refrigerator in case there’s electro-magnetism and I slam into it. It’s generally the fridge that’s out of cycle.”

I always have and always will read a Patrick Massey byline, in cycle or out of cycle. ■