Our very own Len the Pen came down to talk to us about his life and career as a journalist. He gave us fascinating anecdotes, interesting insights and wonderful stories. He spent time working in Canada, on and off through the years in London, and in Zambia, Rhodesia, Malawi and Mozambique. In the 1960s he worked on the London Evening News on weekdays (the largest evening paper in the world at the time, with over 1m copies sold every day) and on the Daily Express sports desk at the weekends. Len moved to Zambia with his wife Barbara, and was tasked with turning a weekly newspaper into a daily one. He was there for the moon landing! Len loved being a foreign correspondent and is envious of all the journalists who get to do it these days with all the fantastic technology they have.
The second half of Len’s career was more involved with public relations and communication, and he often found himself teaching would-be journalists, media and PR personnel. He was a speechwriter for WA Premier Carmen Lawrence for a time. He and his family emigrated to New Zealand and then Australia, where they settled in Perth and lived there for 40 years. At the end of his career, he created a magazine called School Matters, and was editing it - on his retirement they produced a special cover dedicated to especially to him.
Everyone who came along thoroughly enjoyed themselves and hung on Len’s every word! Thanks, Len, for regaling us with such interesting tales from your life and career!
