Vale - Reg James
Last night Tuesday 21st July, 2015, Reg James passed away, surrounded by his family. That would have been the way he would have liked it. He was proud of his family and he talked about them, particularly the Grandchildren.
This Vale is not a list of Reg's achievements. Its not the story of his life. Its just about the Reg James that I knew.
Reg James commenced work at Grace Gibson Productions in 1946 as office boy and worked up to being the Manager. Even after his retirement, Reg was still the 'go to guy' with regard to the old serials. Bruce Ferrier owned and ran Grace Gibson Productions, looked after all the current shows and the business, but Reg loved to handle the old series and serials. He knew them better than anybody else. He knew the cast and the production teams, he had even done a little acting and sound effects from time to time when needed in the early days. He had a phenomenal memory of those days and thank God he did.
In 2003 Moris Sztajer and I first made contact with Reg James. We had heard of him but we were told that he didn't like radio show collectors. We wanted to undertake an ambitious project of documenting Australian Radio Production from the 1920's to 1960's because very little information was available about the shows and the casts. I think Moris contacted Reg first, via email with a couple of questions. I then steeled myself and rang Reg in Sydney and chatted with him a couple of times. Later I arranged to meet him at his home for a cuppa. I was in awe of him and his knowledge. Still am.
Every time since then that I was within a few hundred kilometers of Sydney, which was generally once or twice a year when visiting my sister in Canberra. I went out of my way to stop off to visit Reg and his lovely wife Neryl. Reg and I would talk for hours, poor Neryl would head for the kitchen and stay out of the way. I often had a family member with me and when my wife Dawn came along, then Dawn and Neryl would sit in the kitchen talking while Reg and I caught up. It really means a lot to me that Reg and Neryl put aside time for us like that.
Reg later told me that he had some bad experiences with collectors and saw some actors treated badly once at a convention and so he avoided contact with collectors. I am glad he made an exception with me. Once Reg realised that Moris and I were serious about documenting Australian radio production he really opened up. He introduced me to Bruce Ferrier and Bruce allowed us to licence representative episodes of shows controlled by Grace Gibson Productions for our database.
Reg kept certain documentation relating to series and serials produced by Grace Gibson Productions over the years, when he donated the bulk to the National Archives. That is what he had been using to answer questions from researchers and media. He decided that someone needed to carry that particular torch and so he lent me the documentation to scan. He wrote an authority to the National Film and Sound Archives giving me permission to access and copy documentation for use in producing the Encyclopaedia of Australian Radio Shows database (EARSdb) in partnership with Moris Sztajer, who also has sadly passed away. He would correct Moris's spelling, or try to, would pass on snippets of information, supply us with start dates for every Gibson series and serial along with the first city that broadcast it. He would take the time to explain to me the background on how the serial came about or anything unusual that happened. I soaked it up. He was an encyclopaedia on his own. A nice fellow and a real gentleman. He adored Grace Gibson, forgave her a lot and defended her to the end.
Quite simply, I saw Reg as my Mentor.
Apart from my parents, there have only been two people in my life that I looked up to as Mentors and Reg was one. Sadly Reg was the last one of all of them. They are all gone now. For more than 10 years Reg and I kept up regular email correspondence with me asking him questions and then he replying with the information or his thoughts on the subject. This slowed to a trickle last year when he became too ill and he finally wanted to retire.
His last email to me was 3 weeks ago as a reply to mine the week before asking how he was. He told me he had finished the book about his life and it was with the printers. I never replied. I was away with my family at the Gold Coast. This week I would have replied.
Reg, I have been missing you for a year now. I know you are in a better place, when I get there, if they let me in, you can introduce me to your radio friends. I had some fantastic treasure offered to me today and you would have been the first person I would have told, see, I am missing you already.
Ian Grieve
This Vale is not a list of Reg's achievements. Its not the story of his life. Its just about the Reg James that I knew.
Reg James commenced work at Grace Gibson Productions in 1946 as office boy and worked up to being the Manager. Even after his retirement, Reg was still the 'go to guy' with regard to the old serials. Bruce Ferrier owned and ran Grace Gibson Productions, looked after all the current shows and the business, but Reg loved to handle the old series and serials. He knew them better than anybody else. He knew the cast and the production teams, he had even done a little acting and sound effects from time to time when needed in the early days. He had a phenomenal memory of those days and thank God he did.
In 2003 Moris Sztajer and I first made contact with Reg James. We had heard of him but we were told that he didn't like radio show collectors. We wanted to undertake an ambitious project of documenting Australian Radio Production from the 1920's to 1960's because very little information was available about the shows and the casts. I think Moris contacted Reg first, via email with a couple of questions. I then steeled myself and rang Reg in Sydney and chatted with him a couple of times. Later I arranged to meet him at his home for a cuppa. I was in awe of him and his knowledge. Still am.
Every time since then that I was within a few hundred kilometers of Sydney, which was generally once or twice a year when visiting my sister in Canberra. I went out of my way to stop off to visit Reg and his lovely wife Neryl. Reg and I would talk for hours, poor Neryl would head for the kitchen and stay out of the way. I often had a family member with me and when my wife Dawn came along, then Dawn and Neryl would sit in the kitchen talking while Reg and I caught up. It really means a lot to me that Reg and Neryl put aside time for us like that.
Reg later told me that he had some bad experiences with collectors and saw some actors treated badly once at a convention and so he avoided contact with collectors. I am glad he made an exception with me. Once Reg realised that Moris and I were serious about documenting Australian radio production he really opened up. He introduced me to Bruce Ferrier and Bruce allowed us to licence representative episodes of shows controlled by Grace Gibson Productions for our database.
Reg kept certain documentation relating to series and serials produced by Grace Gibson Productions over the years, when he donated the bulk to the National Archives. That is what he had been using to answer questions from researchers and media. He decided that someone needed to carry that particular torch and so he lent me the documentation to scan. He wrote an authority to the National Film and Sound Archives giving me permission to access and copy documentation for use in producing the Encyclopaedia of Australian Radio Shows database (EARSdb) in partnership with Moris Sztajer, who also has sadly passed away. He would correct Moris's spelling, or try to, would pass on snippets of information, supply us with start dates for every Gibson series and serial along with the first city that broadcast it. He would take the time to explain to me the background on how the serial came about or anything unusual that happened. I soaked it up. He was an encyclopaedia on his own. A nice fellow and a real gentleman. He adored Grace Gibson, forgave her a lot and defended her to the end.
Quite simply, I saw Reg as my Mentor.
Apart from my parents, there have only been two people in my life that I looked up to as Mentors and Reg was one. Sadly Reg was the last one of all of them. They are all gone now. For more than 10 years Reg and I kept up regular email correspondence with me asking him questions and then he replying with the information or his thoughts on the subject. This slowed to a trickle last year when he became too ill and he finally wanted to retire.
His last email to me was 3 weeks ago as a reply to mine the week before asking how he was. He told me he had finished the book about his life and it was with the printers. I never replied. I was away with my family at the Gold Coast. This week I would have replied.
Reg, I have been missing you for a year now. I know you are in a better place, when I get there, if they let me in, you can introduce me to your radio friends. I had some fantastic treasure offered to me today and you would have been the first person I would have told, see, I am missing you already.
Ian Grieve
To learn more about Grace Gibson, follow the link below to Grace Gibson Radio Shop where you can purchase the book co-authored by Reg James. Anybody wanting to know about Australian Radio Production in general and Grace Gibson Productions in particular should read this excellent book.
I am sure that when the book on his own life is made available, it will also be at Grace Gibson Radio. I wouldn't miss it for the world.
I thought I might put up an example of correspondence from 2010 to show how Reg answered my questions, mostly off the top of his head. Fortuitously, Grace's favourites were also Reg's. He might have made a comment about a couple of attitudes, but he didn't name names, nor was I interested. We were documenting, not judging.
Hi again.
Romance of Famous Jewels arrived today . Have already enjoyed listening to 5/6. Many thanks.
Preparing a list of favourite artists, particularly when you are doing it for someone else, as well as yourself is not easy and I am also influenced by Reg Johnston
Without a cast list it is not easy to remember all the names .I had Dick Lanes books to help but they do not include the new and younger artists. However as you will probably expect the mind goes back to those who featured in the Golden Days.
As you will also realise the list of women is shorter as there were less roles for them to show their ability. The top 6 I find nearly impossible to split but I was much closer to the first 4.
-ACTRESSES>
Lyndall Barbour
Dinah Shearing
June Salter
Amber Mae Cecil
Brenda Dunrich
Thelma Scott
---------------------------
Ruth Cracknell
Wyn Nelson
Moira O' Sullivan
Bette Dickson
Lesley Pope
Lynne Murphy
Margaret Christensen
Sheila Sewell
Wendy Playfair
Ann Haddy.
-----------------
It was fairly simple to list Grace's top10 actors with which I would agree 100% On ability alone it could include another ten who deserve almost as much praise. On the entire list there are only two who were difficult to like because of their attitude.
Actors.
-----------
Peter Finch
Alan White
Michael Pate
Frank Waters
John Saul
John Bushelle
Bruce Stewart
Charles Tingwell
Ron Roberts
John Cazabon
-------------------
Alan Trevor
John Meillon
Barry Cookson
Ray Barrett
Richard Davies
Ron Haddrick
James Condon
Kevin Brennan
Syd Wheeler
Lloyd Berrell
Len Teale
Guy Doleman
Harp McGuire
Lloyd Lamble
Richard Meikle
Ric Hutton
Nigel Lovell
Rod Taylor
Moray Powell
John Ewart
---------------------------
It is only fair to mention that only Sydney based actors have been included as Grace's knowledge like mine was limited concerning those working in Melbourne.
You didn't ask about writers but Grace's favourites were:
Male
Ross Napier
Peter Yeldham
Rex Rienits
Don Haring
Max Afford
Maurice Francis
---------------------
Women
Kath Carroll
Lyn Foster.
---------------
Reg.
I thought I might put up an example of correspondence from 2010 to show how Reg answered my questions, mostly off the top of his head. Fortuitously, Grace's favourites were also Reg's. He might have made a comment about a couple of attitudes, but he didn't name names, nor was I interested. We were documenting, not judging.
Hi again.
Romance of Famous Jewels arrived today . Have already enjoyed listening to 5/6. Many thanks.
Preparing a list of favourite artists, particularly when you are doing it for someone else, as well as yourself is not easy and I am also influenced by Reg Johnston
Without a cast list it is not easy to remember all the names .I had Dick Lanes books to help but they do not include the new and younger artists. However as you will probably expect the mind goes back to those who featured in the Golden Days.
As you will also realise the list of women is shorter as there were less roles for them to show their ability. The top 6 I find nearly impossible to split but I was much closer to the first 4.
-ACTRESSES>
Lyndall Barbour
Dinah Shearing
June Salter
Amber Mae Cecil
Brenda Dunrich
Thelma Scott
---------------------------
Ruth Cracknell
Wyn Nelson
Moira O' Sullivan
Bette Dickson
Lesley Pope
Lynne Murphy
Margaret Christensen
Sheila Sewell
Wendy Playfair
Ann Haddy.
-----------------
It was fairly simple to list Grace's top10 actors with which I would agree 100% On ability alone it could include another ten who deserve almost as much praise. On the entire list there are only two who were difficult to like because of their attitude.
Actors.
-----------
Peter Finch
Alan White
Michael Pate
Frank Waters
John Saul
John Bushelle
Bruce Stewart
Charles Tingwell
Ron Roberts
John Cazabon
-------------------
Alan Trevor
John Meillon
Barry Cookson
Ray Barrett
Richard Davies
Ron Haddrick
James Condon
Kevin Brennan
Syd Wheeler
Lloyd Berrell
Len Teale
Guy Doleman
Harp McGuire
Lloyd Lamble
Richard Meikle
Ric Hutton
Nigel Lovell
Rod Taylor
Moray Powell
John Ewart
---------------------------
It is only fair to mention that only Sydney based actors have been included as Grace's knowledge like mine was limited concerning those working in Melbourne.
You didn't ask about writers but Grace's favourites were:
Male
Ross Napier
Peter Yeldham
Rex Rienits
Don Haring
Max Afford
Maurice Francis
---------------------
Women
Kath Carroll
Lyn Foster.
---------------
Reg.
This is an example of how the knowledge gets passed on. Thank you Reg James.
My sincere condolences to Neryl and family.
Ian Grieve
My sincere condolences to Neryl and family.
Ian Grieve