If walls could talk... and ghosts walk

As an epicentre for both the wider Nelson Mandela Bay community and the ink-blood newspaper men and women who worked there, Newspaper House was not just the home of the country’s oldest newspaper, but in many respects a home from home.

As The Herald this week moved into brand-new premises away from the hustle and bustle of down-town Port Elizabeth, Herald staff members shared a few of their thoughts and memories of the iconic landmark at 19 Baakens Street.

Political editor Rochelle de Kock

“My favourite memory is of October 2016 when I received a tip-off on my phone that there had been a shot fired in municipal council chambers.

“I jumped up, called a photographer and we ran across the road to the chambers and when we got there, it was just this massive crime scene.

“A councillor was being wheeled out in a stretcher, others looked like they needed a stiff drink. It was definitely one of the most memorable moments of being based there.

“The close proximity to where news was happening, is something that I will miss.”

Environment and science reporter Guy Rogers

“Newspaper House was situated just right for a quick surf at lunchtime in the old days with my friend and colleague Shaun.

“I loved the building for its sense of history just across the Baakens from where a woolwashing business was established in the mid-1800s.

“A few hundred metres from our building in those early years they harvested water from a spring and transferred it out to ships in the bay.

“Just up from our underground parking, sticking out the back wall of what was Wezandla in Produce Street, is a huge rock that used to stand in the middle of the Baakens before it became a canal.”

Senior health reporter Estelle Ellis

“The Herald newsroom for me is a place where we constructed plans to change the world – and we did.

“Newsrooms should come with a rickety old lift, creaking window panes and a few crazy pigeons – and this one had character in heaps.

“I won’t miss the highly unreliable lifts, the dark alley at the back or the stairs with the peeling paint – but we leave behind so much history and so many memories made by the city’s storytellers.

“I hope our collective words and stories, and our collective efforts to speak truth to power will leave behind some history for those who will occupy 19 Baakens Street next.”

Media planner Andre Segadavan: “We had the Ghostbusters come in one Friday night years back.

“And the area we were sitting in had the highest level of activity in the entire building.

“At the time we were located on the ground floor where supposedly the mortuary was located when the building was still a hospital in the old days.

“It was a late Friday night and they switched off all the lights – I must say whenever the activity spiked, it got cold.”

Deputy news editor Tremaine van Aardt

“My favourite memory of 19 Baakens Street is probably the area itself, mostly because of the convenience.

“I came in as an intern, using the train to commute in and out of town. I also loved the growth I experienced while working at the building, from starting as an intern to leaving it as deputy news editor.

“On my first day, my editor at the time had this to say about my qualifications: ‘That’s very nice, but forget everything you’ve learnt and we will teach you how to write’.

“And that has really stuck with me over the years.”

Chief photographer Eugene Coetzee

“I joined the papers in 1995 and worked for the former Evening Post and The Herald.

“For me, among the most special aspects of working at Newspaper House was the roof-top view.

“After spending a day out in the field, whether covering riots or other events, there was nothing better than relaxing, catching one’s breath and taking in the view of the harbour from the roof.

“That was where I would find my sanity after a tough day in the field. You could do this, while the buzz of the city carried on below.

“It was also a great, interesting building with lots of nooks and crannies.”

Advertising account manager Sandra Muller

“I have been with the newspapers for the past 19 years, so it is certainly a significant change, to move from Newspaper House.

“Thinking back, the most significant change of all has been the changes in technology, from when I first started.

“Everything was in hard copy, fax machines were high-tech and deadlines were paramount.

“There was always a great sense of pride around working there, and working for the Herald.

“The whole place had an amazing buzz and vibe.

“I also loved the roof-top area. It was always a great place to clear one’s head.”

Sub-editor Cornelia le Roux

“Stepping into Newspaper House, one couldn’t help but feel it was a living organism – we churned out breaking news over the years, which must have seeped into its bricks and mortar.

“This grand old dame has served the oldest newspaper in the country well, and working there we really felt we were part of our city’s rich newspaper heritage.”