Mike Amos - Journalist

With more than 49 years in the business, Mike Amos has been referred to as a "colossus in the trade of journalism".  He "retired" more than three years ago (with a series of articles in the Northern Echo) but still has a regular column ...

We were really looking forward to an enjoyable evening meeting with many members of the Rotary Clubs of Durham Bede, Durham Elvet and Hetton-le-Hole in attendance.

There was a great atmosphere of fellowship throughout the evening - a reflection of the way in which the Durham Clubs work together and welcome other Clubs.  President David opened the meeting with some reflections on his Walk to End Polio on October 24th, mentioning especially his appreciation of the way in which fellow Rotarians had come along to support him throughout the day; he received a well-deserved round of applause.  And we must thank David and Secretary Ed for the work they put in to make this joint meeting so enjoyable.

Mike had us gasping and laughing by turns as he described some of the highs and lows of his long career in a local newspaper.  Like the one and only time he was forced to pay an interviewee to persuade him to have his photo taken - that was Ronny Heslop, the first person to escape from Durham Gaol - and Mike paid him £5!  Then there was the time Mike was accused of racialism because he'd made some references to the Nignog Club - a children's club run by the Northern Echo for several years prior to WW2.