Every picture tells a story
Mike with three of his cameras that span a life time career – the family Box Brownie, a Mamiya twin lens C-220 reflex camera first produced in the 1970s, that uses a 6x6cm negative film roll and the modern era’s digital SLR Canon EOS 5D Mk IV.
Photo by Andrew Shepherd
By Lorraine Clarke
MIKE MOORES was born in the UK, in the Cheshire village of Bowdon Vale. He was unsure about which career path to follow, until a trip to Switzerland changed his life.
‘I bought a camera to record the amazing scenery and decided that photography was what I wanted to do,’ he explained.
‘I still have my original camera, which is three years older than I am, the family camera, a Kodak Box Brownie.’
Mike has since used and collected numerous sophisticated cameras, but things were more primitive in the early days.
‘We used glass plates back in 1955, when I was 17. We used to have vans fitted out with a darkroom so we could go out, take black and white pictures, process them and show them to the clients.’
Today a digital colour image appears instantaneously on a camera’s screen, but during his cadetship with a news agency, Mike had to learn many photographic techniques that are now redundant.
‘We worked in and around Manchester, which was the second biggest newspaper area outside Fleet Street.
outside Fleet Street. ‘Brennard Press specialised in airport news. They had offices in all the major airports.
‘We used to check flights for personalities going in and out. I photographed Prime Minister Harold Wilson, entertainers, sportsmen, TV faces and the like.
‘My first big assignment was in 1958 when Manchester United’s plane crashed on takeoff during a snowstorm in Munich as they were flying home from the European Cup qualifiers. Photographers came from all over Europe.
A photographer from Paris Match showed me his three Leica cameras which really got me interested. I wanted to do what he did.’
At that time Mike was working for the small local newspaper, the Altrincham Guardian.
One of the major events Mike covered was the Suez crisis. But the advent of television news had a terrible impact on newspapers.
‘It put a lot of us out of work. The only work I could get was as a navvy on a road gang. I decided to come to Australia. Brisbane’s Courier Mail miraculously had a vacancy for a photographer and I had all the right experience, so was fortunate enough to get the job.’
Mike’s portfolio is filled with images of famous faces and memorable events.
‘I’ve seen more royalty in Australia than ever I did in England, where I only saw them twice. But here I was involved in the Commonwealth Games where I photographed Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
‘I was in Brisbane when Prince Charles’ navy ship docked there. The media was crowding around but the police threatened us with speeding tickets.
‘I went back to the office. Then it dawned on me that I knew where he was going! One of Prince Charles’ Timbertop teachers lived in Mooloolaba so I took a reporter and went to that address.’
Police bodyguards tried to stop Mike, but he replied that he was on a public road and would take photos of them obstructing him. They asked him what he wanted, and he said, ‘A photo of the Prince swimming at the beach’. The police relayed the message, and Prince Charles agreed. Mike’s photos went around the world.
The life of a news photographer can be a dangerous one.
‘I’ve been shot at several times. Driving to work one day, police stopped traffic by Chermside Hospital. A psychiatric patient had a rifle and was shooting down at cars on the highway. I’ve been lowered out of helicopters.
I photographed the Brisbane floods, bushfires, cyclones, street riots, the Pope’s visit.’
It wasn’t all hard slogging. Life was sweetened by an office romance between Mike and the lovely Phyllis.
‘I was headhunted by The Sun as Chief Photographer and Deputy Pictorial Editor for the Sunday Sun. When The Sun was closed by Murdoch, I opened my own news photography agency in Brisbane.
‘We had been to Tasmania on holiday quite a few times, and decided to take early retirement down here in 2005. The local scenery reminded me very much of where I was born in Cheshire, with its rural and dairying countryside, so I felt at home here.
When the Meander Valley Gazette was founded, Mike commented ‘I could tell they needed some help, so I offered my services!’
Since the 1970s, Mike Moores has been showered with industry awards honouring the quality of his work, including the Nikon Photographer of the Year Award, Rothmans Press Awards, Walkley Awards and most recently, awards from the Rural Press Club of Victoria for his work for the Meander Valley Gazette.
EVER SINCE Mike Moores walked into the office of the Meander Valley Gazette and offered his services, the paper and readers have been privileged to have been informed and delighted by his images of dazzling quality.
Mike’s contribution of a superior standard of professional photography has profoundly improved the quality of the paper.
Thanks to his generous and tireless efforts, Mike’s professionalism and experience has also been an invaluable asset to the Gazette.
We will always be grateful to Mike for his sensible advice and seemingly endless patience that helped us find our way through many crises, big and small.
But Mike has now decided it is time to retire once again so that he can pursue his other interests.
Everyone at the Gazette is missing him already, and we all wish him the very best for the future. Hopefully we have not yet seen the last of Mike's photos!
Enjoy your well-earned retirement, Mike and Phyllis.
Demonstrating Mike’s rare talent for spotting a small and intimate image – Kate Clarke (4) of Hagley with Lizzie Lizard the skink. Kate won first prize as best pet handler at the 2016 Westbury Show.
At the 2018 Deloraine Show, Kerry the Rooster and his proud owner Tony Sherriff took the Best Bird in Show Award for the second year running. Beautifully lit, this image showcases Mike’s ability to compose a photo, create a great portrait and capture the emotion of a moment.
In February 2020, Mike attended the Tasmanian Mountain Cattlemen’s 33rd Annual Get Together. Isabella Gleeson and Sunny tackled the barrel race while Mike took his gorgeous photos, all in the pouring rain.
The images chosen here are just three of the editor’s favourites taken by Mike for the Gazette. In October, Pixels Gallery at the Deloraine Online Centre will be showing a retrospective of Mikes’ best Gazette photographs.
