The third editor of the Newsletter is Julian Wilkins son of the late Doug Wilkins former sound recordist.
Sam Hall was the second editor of the Newsletter .
The very first meeting of the Club was on
Wednesday 8 November 1989
and held at the Duke of Kendal, Connaught Street in London.
Present were just nine people—:Margot Bateman, Jane Bray, Jim Burnham, Diana Edwards-Jones, Audrey Gullick, John Lodge, Jo Redding, Sarah Seldon and Alfred Wilson. Frank Miles sent apologies for absence—he was in hospital undergoing an operation..
At the meeting Jo Redding was appointed Chairman, Alfred Wilson agreed to
be the Treasurer and Frank Miles was made Secretary (in his absence— but it was known he had a word processor and could therefore keep records).
Frank Miles undertook to produce a Newsletter for the ITN1955Club so becoming its first Editor. Sam Hall was the Editor of the Newsletter he took over after Frank Miles retired from the role after 20 years. Sam Hall has given up from 1st July 2017.
It was also agreed there would be an annual subscription of £5 and that there would be a regular monthly meeting of members. Since the start there have been some 450 ex-members of staff who have joined the Club. Sadly, 142 of them have died.
Previous issues
History
When the Newsletter started some 19 years ago it had just four pages a month, but its popularity was such that it increased to eight pages, then twelve and now, for the past ten years, to sixteen.
Each issue contains news of ITN, of the Club itself, often with
photographs of events, personal news of members and what they have been up to, their memories of days at ITN, potted biographies and
photographs of new members.
Many members say they belong to the Club just to get the Newsletter, to keep up with the news of former colleagues.The say it alone is worth the annual subscription paid to be a member of the Club.The sub does not, by the way, meet all the costs of its production and distribution its production and distribution but the generosity of many members sending in donations has kept it going all these years.
Factual & Famous
Occasionally it deals with such matters as pensions, or how best to get a holiday insurance (difficult as you grow older), occasional health tips and asks “Where are they now?” when trying to trace former colleagues.
Sadly the Newsletter has occasionally to report the death of a member or the illness of another. But it has reported at least two weddings and other happy events in its time.
Newsletter has featured four times on Channel-4’s “Countdown” with material being read out on air. Its contributors have even included the late Alastair Cooke, who thought highly of it, and it has been written about in the national press.