Digging through Scambo's archives (39 years behind the camera)

Over this time, thousands of photos were sorted, loads of captions written, copious kilometres travelled, loads of people introduced and quite a few bakeries visited.

I've been lucky to be able to photograph, I'd hate to try to estimate how many rolls of film or images I have processed and printed in the darkroom, and since we changed to digital in late 1999 how many frames shot.

I think I've had 12 different cameras, with seven of those being digital cameras, with say an average of 500,000 frames shot, that could be round 3.5 million frames, my index finger has sure had a good workout.

When I started in 1985, I used a Nikon-F2 camera with a couple of lenses and the pool cars were the Commodore VH.

It was only about a month later and Chief Photographer Eddie Kerfoot handed out brand new Nikon F3 camera kits, this was with a 35-105, 20mm, and a 300mm lens with a Metz flash unit.

Earlier this year, I was fortunate to have a new Nikon Z9 kit delivered to my desk, this is an amazing mirrorless camera.

This kit travels around in the new pool car, a Hyundai Tucson.

This week back in 1985, I joined The Examiner newspaper as a cadet photographer, under the guidance of then chief photographer, the late Eddie Kerfoot, along with Bob Drew, Marco Del Grande, Mark Ray and Dick Speer, and since this date, the darkroom doors have had 30 photographers go through.

Photographers Neil Richardson, Peter Lord, Mark Seaton, Peter Atylett, Maria Connors, Matthew Stanley, Will Swan, Craig Sheriff, Michelle Webb, Jeremy Smith, Eddie Safarik, Tim Hughes, Lorisse Dart, Leila Williams, Sarah Rhodes, Simon Tennant, Sharee Smith, Simon Groves, Ben Vos, Glenn Daniels, Mark Jesser, Geoff Robson, Scott Gelston, Phillip Biggs, Craig George and now Rod Thompson.

Not that we have a darkroom anymore, but desks and the occasional office car, Phillip Biggs, Craig George and Rod Thompson make up the photography team to deliver the news and sport in pictures to you.

My first editors Michael Courtney and Rod Scott, instilled the newspaper world with its professionalism and sense of community, and to this day I hold those values.

The working with former editors Dean Southwell, Fiona Reynolds, Martin Gilmour, Mark Baker, Simon Tennant, Courtney Greisbach, Corey Martin and Mark Westfield.

I have learnt something unique from each of them.

Now Craig Thomson has the editor's reins and is leading a new way for our newspaper.

There have been hundreds of reporters, but I have enjoyed working alongside Alison Andrews, Martin Stevenson, Fran Voss, John Caples, Mark Baker, Michael Stevens, Caitlin Jarvis, Hamish Geale and Greg Mansfield, who only recently retired.

These senior reporters are amazing people to be able to work with, always felt part of the team to deliver that news story, and I have lots of on the road stories that could be told one day.

We've had a few owners, originally owned by Examiner Northern Television (ENT), then Rural Press, Fairfax, Nine and now Australian Community Media (ACM).

I have to mention my long time colleague in Neil Richardson, he joined the darkroom February 1986, and retired around Christmas 2020.

We have quite a few years of Tassie's history between us.

Phillip Biggs and I share this silly sense of humour, we often make one line comments, and sometimes they just keep coming, especially if one of us has been able to stand in the right spot for our photos, or if something gets forgotten.

I have enjoyed meeting, photographing and working with many people, which inclues the good, the bad and the ugly, and have been privileged to see and also try many things first hand, and tell those stories in my pictures for you.

And with the current team of reporters, with Phillip, Craig and Rod, I'll keep taking photos for a few more years.

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