Tue, 3 August, 2021
SPLASH
Welcome to our Book Club…
… well, not really, but yet another scribe has beaten lockdown lethargy by writing his memoirs. And we have exclusive extracts.
In a career spanning 34 years, GEOFF LESTER, one of horseracing’s pressroom greats, rose from tea boy to chief correspondent on The Sporting Life. His book *The Time of My Life covers everything from day one and even earlier, and explores the ecstasy and the agony that life on the Life brought him.
Geoff travelled the world of horseracing in America, Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong, France, Canada and Ireland, taking in 30 consecutive Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes, 20 Breeders Cups, 16 Dubai World Cups and a couple of Melbourne Cups.
Geoff said: “During the first Covid lockdown, every time I turned on my television someone was saying how they had relieved the boredom by writing a book. I had been lucky enough to travel the globe writing about the sport of kings for The Queen’s favourite racing newspaper, so my wife Gerry suggested I put down on paper all the tales she and others had heard so many times at various dinner parties and social gatherings. She probably had an ulterior motive as it would at least get me out of her hair.
“I had the most wonderful time with the Life, and if my readers get half as much enjoyment from my book as I did writing the 77,000 words, then it will be mission accomplished.”
*You can order the softback book, priced at £13.99 inc P&P, by phoning the publisher on 01933 304776, or online here: https://weatherbysshop.co.uk/the-time-of-my-life-by-geoff-lester/
Now please click through to Members’ Noticeboard and read exclusive extracts from The Time of My Life.
News
-
If you haven’t caught up with John Jackson’s hilarious memoirs yet, you can enjoy a preview in Members’ Noticeboard.
-
SEVERAL members have been in touch to tell us their Spring Mirror Pensioner has never arrived. We’ve posted replacement copies, of course.
Strangely, …
-
FORMER Daily Mirror sub-editor Alan Livermore has joined the AMP Committee. You can read all about him using the drop-down menu: About …
-
FAMILY and friends rolled out the red carpet for former Daily Record and Sunday Mail man DONALD MCMASTER when he celebrated his …
-
(Click above to view All Our Yesterdays)
Ken Irwin’s amazing record
Frank Thorne’s Longleat exclusive
Jimmy Baynes: a unique archive
Memories are made of this
It was 20 years ago today…
Marvellous memories of Mellor
A [different] Windsor get together
Tom Rand’s inky memoirs
Digger Bowry’s trip down Memory Lane
Were you at this Meeting with Maxwell?
Howard “Johnny” Johnson’s retirement pic
-
(Click above to view Members’ Noticeboard )
He had the time of his Life – Geoff Lester’s memoirs
Congrats to centurion Donald McMaster
Reflections of a Mirror Man
Peter Thompson’s 21st book
Maggie Hall on all things Dracula
World exclusive scoop from Terry Pattinson’s book
Delano’s Italian job
Diamonds are forever
You can’t keep a good man down – Jimmy Baynes
Tony writes again…
Sporting Life – exclusive
Congrats from the Queen
Tony Bassett: My first novel
Jeremy’s Golden Years
Sunday Mirror, 1964. Remember this?
A Life remembered…
Fred’s Diamond achievement
Why not get in touch with Don Cameron?
Lino ship celebrations
Celebrating Maxwell Day
Geoff Lakeman’s new career
Tel’s new play
Jimmy’s military pilgrimage
Two new books by Mirror hacks
Were you there? Ad dept 1985...
Obituaries
-
David Wright
FORMER Mirror man DAVID WRIGHT died from cancer on July 31 [2021] in Florida. He was 82.
David joined the Daily Mirror from …
-
Fidelma Cook
FIDELMA COOK, a former deputy news editor at the Daily Record, died on June 26 [2021], aged 71, in hospital at Mossaic, …
-
Allan White
ALLAN WHITE spent his entire career on The Sporting Life, principally in the paper’s engine room, the Form Room. The Form Room …
-
Ron Carpenter
MGN media expert RON CARPENTER died on April 19 [2021]. Ron was a long-term Mirror Group man, with a short break of …
-
Dan Wooding
Former Sunday People journalist and, later, evangelical broadcaster DAN WOODING died on March 18, 2020, aged 81, from cancer. Dan worked on …
-
Peter Cook
PETER COOK, intrepid Sunday Mirror photographer and the NUJ FoC for many years, died yesterday, April 21 [2021]. He had been suffering …
-
Jeff Ballard
JEFFREY BALLARD, who worked as an editorial clerk on The Sporting Life for more than 20 years, died on August 29 [2020]. …
-
Mel Morgan
WITH apologies for the lateness of this post, we regret to record the death, on October 17 [2020], of MEL …