Terence Worley – a man with ink in his veins, an attentive ear and an eye for news – has laid down his camera and pen, and is about to embark on a new chapter in his life.
Fondly known as Terry, he has been at the Northern Natal Courier for over 29 years and is now starting a new journey. He is taking over the Miner’s Rest Restaurant at Talana Museum.
Terry, brought up and schooled in Newcastle, has always been an avid reader with a curious mind and a love for news. His father, Dennis Worley (a keen fan of the Daily News Newspaper), instilled the culture of reading in him and Terry’s love for journalism thus grew.
Soon after completing his secondary school education, Terry followed his dream and studied Journalism at the Natal Technikon, now known as Durban University of Technology. This career choice took him on an unending adventure from newsroom to newsroom, before finally settling at the Northern Natal Courier and making an indelible mark on the community of Dundee.
Terry’s first newsroom was the Sunday Tribune, where he spent Saturdays learning the ropes from seasoned journalists. With a chuckle and a sparkle in his eye, he describes this experience as ‘scary but exciting’.
“They were hardened journalists who didn’t suffer fools gladly.”
At the Tribune, he assisted with the infamous Stander Gang story and reminisces how his first story was about a vervet monkey on the loose at a panel-beating shop in Durban. This was the first of many stories he eloquently told.
Thereafter, Terry did a short stint at the Northern Natal Courier, under the ownership of RA Burns, followed by another short stint at the Newcastle Advertiser. His journey took a detour when he was conscripted into the army. Once he had finished his national service, he returned to the newsroom at a sports publication called Uniform in Pretoria. This newsroom sent him to various corners of the country, where he experienced a kaleidoscope of sporting events and different cultures, and got to rub shoulders with many interesting people.
Terry covered sporting events such as the Duzi Canoe Marathon and Sun City Golf Tournament, and even interviewed Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan. Terry recalls very fondly how he learnt the importance of carrying a spare pen, after needing to borrow one from Mr Bachchan because he had forgotten his.
Terry beams when speaking about his favourite beat, namely political and council stories, and softens when speaking about obituaries and death notices.
He attributes his success to two legendary mentors, pioneering journalist and author, Dennis Beckett and Martin Paul, a former editor in the Northern KZN region. Terry explains how both were bold, insightful yet kind-hearted men who touched his career. As fate would have it, Terry’s journey took him to one last newsroom in 1997 that would become like his home: the Northern Natal Courier. In that year, Caxton Local Media bought the newspaper and Terry took over as Editor.
He describes this transition as being difficult at first, but ‘tenacious Terry’ persevered and soon became embedded in the close-knit community of Endumeni. At the Northern Natal Courier, he got to meet the likes of Johnny Clegg, Nelson Mandela, Brenda Fassie and even Prince Charles. While Terry’s career blossomed, so did his personal life. He married Helen in 2005 and the couple had their son, Liam, two years later.
With his family, career and life complete, Terry continued to serve the communities and bring their plights to the fore.
“Interviewing people is a privilege; a story might seem small to you, but it makes a huge difference to others. Stories bring hope and joy, and can resolve problems. An example of this is a story I did for an old man without an Identity Document. That one story changed his life and he soon received not only an ID, but a social grant too after years of struggle.”
When Terry is not chasing news, he is catching up on the latest sports news, especially what happens on the football fields and cricket pitches. He also loves reading and has tried his hand at cooking, with a boast that he can follow a recipe to the T.
Terry leaves behind a legacy of news, and hopes to carry on the culinary legacy of Jenny Ross at the Miner’s Rest Restaurant. There he hopes to continue supporting and be supported by the community of Dundee, and encourages everyone to pop in for a coffee.
Terry wishes to extend his heartfelt gratitude to Caxton and its management for their support, and ‘allowing me to run this paper for the benefit of the community’. He also thanks the community at large for being generous and welcoming.
“I would like to thank the staff, both present and past, for being supportive and willing. It could not be achieved without teamwork. A special thanks to former colleagues and current friends, Siphiwe Ngwenya and Johann Hamman, for being along the journey with me.”
Terry also has a piece of advice for future journalists: “Be prepared to know that your life is not your own. Journalism is a vocation. The public will write your diary. It is not a job, but definitely a lifestyle.”
As Lao Tzu once said, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’.
Terry has taken this step and is wished everything of the best for the future.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram or email us at dundee.courier@caxton.co.za. Add us on WhatsApp 071 277 1394.
