You may have seen from tonight's Scunthorpe Telegraph that Bryan Robins - former Brigg Town Mayor, ex-councillor and one of the town's best-known figures - has died, aged 77. It was a sad duty indeed on Wednesday night to ring and inform the current editor of Bryan's passing.
Bryan came to Brigg at the end of the 1950s and was staff photographer on the Lincolnshire Times, whose offices were at 57 Wrawby Street. He stayed there until the Times closed in 1985, moving on to the Scunthorpe Telegraph, from where he retired.
He was first elected to Brigg Urban District Council in the early 1960s and went on to serve with the Town Council until a few years ago when he stepped down. However, despite failing health, he continued to represent the authority as a Foundation Governor at Sir John Nelthorpe School.
Although working long and irregular hours (including almost all weekends) at the Lincs Times for which he took all the pictures, he still managed to support many organisations in the town, including the Operatic Society, Brigg Town Football Club, Brigg Town Cricket Club, Remedial Swimming and the Horticultural Society.
He was very proud to have been presented to Her Majesty The Queen during her visit to Brigg Recreation Ground in 1977, when he was Mayor, and to have won a national award for the top Children in Need picture of the year, which saw him meeting famous actress Joanna Lumley.
The majority of Bryan's pictures, though, were the mundane, everyday sort vital for a local newspaper. However, that never bothered Bryan. He always treated everyone he photographed with equal courtesy and respect, irrespective of age or background. His extensive and informative captions were legendary, and a great example to young colleagues. Quite often they became a story in their own right, without the need for a reporter to add a single word. Today, so-called photo-journalists are becoming increasingly common - but to Bryan it was just part and parcel of the job.
He greatly enjoyed the small office cameraderie of the Lincolnshire Times, where 10am and 3pm saw all staff - there weren't many - clustering around Bryan's desk to enjoy the tea ritual, overseen by his great friend, Cliff Hatley, the branch manager.
Before the digital era he was still developing his own films in the darkroom and producing black and white prints to be sent off (via the Humber Ferry) to Hull where the paper was printed. He always ran off a second print from each job to be placed in the front window of the Times office, which brought in much-needed income for the paper and found many welcome "viewers" among passers-by in Wrawby Street.
Bryan had a fund of interesting newspaper stories - some at his own expense. Once, venturing to the edge of his "patch" - in the Market Rasen direction - he was approached by the elderly proprietor/editor of a rival paper to cover a particular event he could not make himself. Bryan duly sent off the print and did not expect to get paid. However, much later, when he saw the same editor again, the old man said: "Ah, Robins, I appear to owe you a reproduction fee. Half-a-crown, wasn't it?" Bryan was never in journalism for the money!
For some years after the closure of the Lincs Times, he generously hosted a summer reunion at his Brigg home for ex-staff, who came from far and wide. He kept in touch with many long after they had moved on to bigger, and better jobs.
In retirement he enjoyed overseeing his garden and keeping up to date with town events.
Funeral arrangements will be posted on Brigg Blog as soon as they are made known. Expect a very large attendance.
No comments:
Post a Comment