Gordon, 75, had also worked on the Jersey Evening Post so he was well aware of how small island newspapers operated when he started work as chief reporter on the Bulletin.
In those days this newspaper was based in the Calle San Felio, just off the Borne. Production methods were pretty primitive compared to today, and producing the Bulletin was a like a daily labour of love. Gordon quickly became a key member of the team.
His love and knowledge of football meant that he soon established a close relationship with his Spanish colleagues while members of the Bulletin editorial team always marvelled at his knowledge of short-hand both in English and French.
Gordon soon became a lifelong fan of Real Mallorca along with his beloved Tottenham. He would report on all of Mallorca´s home matches. As a local reporter he interviewed former British Prime Minister Edward Heath, footballing great Bobby Charlton, Sir Peter Ustinov and Sir James Mason.
I remember how he would recount his interview with Heath who had come to the island at the time when the miners were on the warpath and were threatening to bring down his administration. "It was a rainy, Winter evening and I managed to hitch a ride to Soller, where Heath was staying, in a van. It was a nightmare journey (in those days there was no Soller tunnel, just the road over the mountains). When we arrived Heath said that he would not be discussing British politics. We had come all that way for nothing! But in the end he did answer some of our questions."
My lasting memory of Gordon was watching him take down the football scores on a Saturday afternoon from the BBC World Service. He would arrive with his radio and because sometimes our teleprinter service from Reuters would mis-function we had no option but to take the results from the radio. It was a job which required some skill because we were talking about eight different leagues. It was a job which Gordon loved. My job, when he was finished, was to rush through the results to the typists who would then produce the page. It was journalism of the old school, with shouts of "copy"and "move, boy" ringing in my ears.
Gordon retired from the Bulletin in 1994 and spent his time between Majorca and Kent, his home county.
For many years he lived at a small hostal near the Bulletin offices. When the family decided to sell the business Gordon moved into a flat with them. They became his Majorcan family.
I had the pleasure of working with Gordon for six years but you can safely say that he was a key member of the Bulletin team alongside former editor : Andrew Valente, local news editor : Irene Taylor and ofcourse Riki Lash. The last time I saw Gordon was at our 50th anniversary party last May. He was clearly pleased that Queen Elizabeth had decided to honour the founder of the Bulletin and our honorary Chairman now, Pere Serra, with an honorary MBE.
Like Pere Serra said on the night it was an award for all the Bulletin team over the newspaper´s 50 years. Gordon would have been especially pleased with that because while he had worked for other newspapers the Bulletin was always in his heart.
Gordon also taught me a great lesson;words are free but facts are sacred. It was a piece of advice which will always accompany me through my journalistic career.
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