The Guardian/Guardian Weekly has been my trusted friend for 60 years. The Manchester Guardian kept me company on my solitary lunch breaks in 1958-59, from the hospital where I was a square peg – a trainee lab technician – in a round hole. The Guardian kept me in touch with the social issues that were my true love. I clearly remember an article predicting future conflict in Lebanon that would be the result of the multi-faceted groups living in that country.
Nearly 20 years later I landed as a social development consultant in Cairo. The mid-to-late 1970s were a turbulent time in Egypt and I was dependent on visitors to bring me the Guardian Weekly from London. I count myself very fortunate to have met Irene Beeson, a Guardian correspondent, who introduced me to some very interesting parts of Cairo. She was part of about 30 who joined me for lunch on Christmas Day 1978. After Irene gave the toast to the Palestinians, we crowded around a small television to watch the historic meeting between Israel’s prime minister Menachem Begin and Egypt’s president Anwar Sadat.
Now when my time is split between north London and Victoria, Australia, I have regular access to my friendly Guardian Weekly. Although in Geelong, it is only available from one shop. I still prefer print, but I amplify my newspaper reading by accessing the Guardian online.
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