The good old days

Even those of us who were once part of “the support team” would agree with Michael Reupke’s observation. We felt the same way.

My very first visit to the salt mines was when Britain was feeling it’s way into the EEC in the days when Bob Taylor reported from Brussels. A team went to Luxembourg for the negotiations and outcome. Team meant Bob Taylor, Jonathan Fenby, Mohsin Ali, Ron Cooper and others, I think. I was the support act helping to keep the “specials” at bay.

I can still see Mohsin Ali strolling nonchalantly into the comms area in the wee small hours with his snap – I’m sure it must have been a snap – that he/we wanted to get onto the wire before anyone else caught up with him. For my first working trip out of London I saw Brussels airport, the road to and from Strasbourg and the inside of the conference centre, and nothing else for three days and nights. But, as Sid Rice pointed out when I returned to London, I shouldn’t complain. After all, I got to ride in an airplane! ■