Paul Wicks
40 years in newspapers; 39 years at Qld Newspapers - Started as a first-year cadet at the Toowoomba Chronicle in mid-1969 and, as was the way in regional papers then, he did everything. On his first few shifts he was required to fill a senior’s glue bottle as well as subbing fillers on Page 3.
In the next 12 months, Paul also deputised as chief sports writer (covering Toowoomba Bulimba Cup rugby league games and seems to recall seeing a certain Wayne Bennett in Downs sides then) as well as general reporting and some subbing.
Paul accepted an offer from Telegraph acting chief of staff Pat Lloyd to go to the big smoke as a graded journalist and in October 1970 started at the Tele... for a week or so as a general reporter before moving into sport where among other things was acting chief rugby league and cricket writer and also turf guide chief sub (lowpoint:. typo in form guide in which the letters of t.h.i.s were transposed to s.h. i .t !).
The cricket round was a highlight and Paul recalls meeting the likes of English manager Alec Bedser and Aussies such Greg Chappell who even let him bowl at Sam Trimble at a state practice session (Paul says the ball is still going!).
Was also writing a weekly television-radio column and new Tele editor Lionel Hogg decided that the start of colour TV warranted a daily column and offered it to Paul.
Mostly enjoyable time (even when a certain publicist regularly threatened to get have him sacked for 16 years, including about three at the Courier-Mail after the Tele closed.
“Highlights were talking cricket with Michael Parkinson at a city hotel for hours! John Cleese was a bore though . . . no humour at all. Spike Milligan also serious after a hard squash workout,’’ Paul said.
Paul returned to full time subbing in early ‘90s at the Sunday Mail, including keeping an eye on TV book for a few hours a week. Then on to stone subbing as well before spending the past decade as a check/proofing sub at the Sunday.
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