A good innings!

Abstract

When it was announced at the annual representative meeting in Dundee in June that I would be retiring from Family Doctor on health grounds in September, the editor of the BMJ asked me if I would like to write something of my experiences, first as assistant editor and later as executive editor of the BMA's health education unit. In the event, I almost didn't get the job. My interview with Dr Harvey Flack, founder editor of Family Doctor magazine, was for 4 pm on Wednesday 3 October 1956. This is not date that will have any significance for most people but, as it happened, it was the opening night of the Bolshoi Ballet's first visit to Covent Garden, and I had tickets for Romeo and Juliet starring the great Ulanova. Those who remember Harvey do so with much affection, but they will also recall what great talker he was?naturally, as he was half southern and half Ulster Irish. So the interview pro? ceeded and he and I talked about Family Doctor, the BMA, and everything under the sun. It was fairly obvious to me that he was going to offer me the job but at 7 pm (the ballet started at 7 30) I was forced to ask if he would mind very much if I could now be excused. Later, when we got to know each other lot better he admitted that he'd almost changed his mind about me at that point in case I was a clock watcher. I soon realised his anxiety on that point. Being assista^* ^itor to Harvey meant working most evenings until 7 30 d ev :ry Wednesday, when we had our weekly session with our fr^^nce art editor, Alan Morgan, until 9 or even 10 pm if there were special problems ahead of press day. It was very hard work, but also enormous fun. I insisted that Friday evenings were to be my own (spent usu? ally at Covent Garden or the theatre) but even then there was always briefcase full of work to be done at home over the weekend.