Tear sheets, Part 2
The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH)
Sydney was big time, more crime, more fires, more happening on every level, plus there was a stable of newspapers and magazines. Apart from the flagship, The Sydney Morning Herald (first published in 1831) there was the Sunday paper, The Sun-Herald and a weekly news magazine, PIX and Woman's Day also weekly. So the experience was very varied. I preferred shooting stories and perhaps did more work for PIX than the others, although I did my share of the cooking shots, fashion and covers. While the Speed Graphic was still used by the SMH and Woman's Day photographers, 35mm SLR. in my case (Nikon cameras) shooting was acceptable for PIX. Perhaps we were catching up with the rest .
Talk with Soekarno
I had planned to take my annual leave in Indonesia but the Editor of the SMH thought otherwise and said it was a working assignment. I travelled through Java and then Bali and had stroke of luck. I had applied for an appointment to meet with President Soekano and present him with a painting by Aboriginal artist, Winnie Bamara, this was granted and I was ushered into his presence. I was the first Australian photo-journalist in a number of years to meet with President Soekano, "no questions on politics" I was briefed. Behind the President was a huge map with Dutch West New Guinea marked as 'West Irian', he saw me looking at the map and starting talking about it. I had a story. The story on the right appeared in the weekend Sun-Herald.
However the main features appeared in PIX Magazine over two issues.
Woman's Day
Colour was a rare commodity in Australian magazines in the early '60's and there were no colour images in the daily newspapers. So, out of the stable of newspapers and magazines Woman's Day was the the pioneer. Certain fashion images from Europe would be in colour and usually in a 6cm x 6cm format, but here we were still locked into 1/4 plate cameras. Cooking and fashion were shot on the 1/4 plate Speed Graphics, for this we were issued with one box of 10 sheets of 1/4 plate Ektachrome colour film a week and had to process the film ourselves. No room for mistakes. But there some were great assignments, for example sailing on the Indonesian training barquentine 'Dewarutji' from Adelaide to Melbourne.
South Pacific Fashion 1962
With extra suitcases full of beach fashion from Melbourne designer, Norma Tullo, we headed to the two Samoa's. First there was a multi-page shoot for PIX and then the fashion shoot for Woman's Day. The two models were the daughters of the Governor of American Samoa, Dixie and Linda Lee with great support from the locals.
We were based in Athens, Greece, for BLACK STAR photographic agency. I received advance of US $100 a month, this was deducted against fees I earned.
1963- 1964.
Freelancing as a photo-journalist in the 1960's and 70's was as hard work as it always had been but rewarding. We relied on cables and telegrams and midnight phone calls for assignments. Getting film back to base was often a major problem.
I was in Papua New Guinea for TIME magazine during their first general election and was shooting bearers carrying ballot boxes across a river from a bridge. I got sideswiped by a truck, lost one camera, saved the other. From the local hospital I phoned the Bureau Chief to tell him i was out of action. He asked two questions, had I shipped the film and when was he going to get it?
There were many assignments and projects and there were some that stood out from others, here is a small selection.
Sir Winston Churchill's funeral, 1965. Paris Match.
It is claimed that Churchill planned every detail of his own funeral. I was just one of the many photographers assigned by the Sunday Times to cover the event. My role was relatively minor, to photograph the funeral train. There was a time embargo on the airspace within a large radius of St Martin's, Bladon, with threats to be shot down by the RAF. I took the pictures of the train and we landed the chopper beside a village pub and had lunch. The pilot calculated it would take two flying minutes to reach St Martin's church. With a minute of embargo time to go we look off and were over St Martin's as the coffin was being lowered. I thought I had a major scoop! But the Sunday Times wouldn't publish them, not the right thing to do old boy.
They sold the rights to the French news magazine, Paris Match.
Men of Auschwitz
The Sunday Times, London, 1965
I had only been in London for a few weeks, hawking my portfolio around when I was offered what appeared to be a great assignment in Germany. There was a war crime trial going on and the defendants were allowed to go home when the sessions were not sitting.
All the editor wanted was pictures of them in their home environment. What could be difficult in that? I wasn't successfull with my dark hair and a beard until Dawn my wife, a blond, joined me. With the writer, Antony Terry, we stalked them and got them all!
The war in the Pacific almost engulfed Australia but was stopped by US & Australian forces in Papua New Guinea. The Kokoda Trail, the jungle track over the McDonalds mountain range is where the Australian troops stopped and defeated the Japanese. The battle is considered to be a turning point of the war against the Japanese.
The US forces had fought and defeated the Japanese through the islands to the north and their stronghold in Papua New Guinea at Rabaul. The area was littered with the relics of war, tanks, gun placements, rusting artillery shells on the beach and shot down aircraft from both sides rotting in the jungle.
In 1967 with LIFE editor, Ken Gouldthorpe we did a story called the 'Ghost of a Gallant War' it ran over several pages.
In 1994 nature did what WWII failed to do, a volcanic eruption showered ash on the town and wiped out eigthy percent of buildings. The town was moved to Kokopo 12km away.
EDITORS' NOTE
Never hurts to get a good review in LIFE magazine!
Tower of the Winds, Athens.
National Geographic Magazine, 1964
One of the most pleasant assignments we did was working with a team from National Geographic to work out just how the The Tower of the Winds originally worked. Standing in the Roman Agora below the Acropolis the shell of the tower still stands (even today). It had seen many uses since first constructed in the 2nd century BC. It was later used as a temple for the Whirling Dervishes during the Ottoman Empire rule. Dawn and I (we had recently married in Athens) spent days on our hands and knees brushing away centuries of rubble and dust.
'Southern Exposure' with Donald Horne.
'I Want To Be', series. Six childrens' books written by Dawn Beal with pictures by David Beal.
A Ferry Captain
A Vet
A Hostess, now a very successful adviser
An Artist
The Ferry Captain, (center) 40 years on.
A Model
A Pilot, now a major banking figure on London
Author Dawn Beal (right) in traditional Thai costume with dance coach
Writers who contributed essays, Geoffrey Dutton,
Harry Gordon,
Douglas Lockwood
Ian Moffitt
John Douglas Pringle
Gavin Souter
Craig McGegor
Patrick Tennison
Richard Walsh
and 28 photographers including;
David Moore
Lance Nelson
Helmut Gritscher
John O'Grady
Richard Woldendorp
McGregor, Beal, Moore, Williamson
In the Making is not a series of worknotes for particuar works of art. It is a remarkable collection of remarkable photographs of artists, of artists in their environment, of artists at work, of their works themselves...
from the foreward of, In The Making.
IN THE MAKING
SOME OF MANY ARTISTS PORTRAYED IN THE BOOK. COMING SOON ARE A SERIES OF GALLERIES OF THESE ARTISTS
FRED WILLIAMS
PAINTER
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IAN FAIRWEATHER
PAINTER
RON ROBERTSON-SWAN
SCULPTOR
PATRICK WHITE
AUTHOR
DAVID BOYD
PAINTER
SIR ROY GROUNDS
ARCHITECT
DAVID ASPDEN
PAINTER
NIGEL BUTTERLEY
COMPOSER
DOUGLAS STEWART
POET
RICHARD MEALE
COMPOSER
JOHN OLSEN
PAINTER
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