Young BFP reporter writes her own love story on the job (From Bucks Free Press)

Young BFP reporter writes her own love story on the job

1:21pm Friday 21st July 2006 in

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Lindy Brookling came to the Free Press in 1971 as a trainee reporter after growing up in Wooburn Green and attending Wycombe High School.

She worked from the paper's office in Castle Street and remembers being stationed in a separate room from the sub editors.

Being a new addition to the team, Lindy was given the job of filling the paper's youth page. She said: "It was a page that had all news of Scouts and Guides and youth clubs. Anybody new always had to take that over. You had to ring up the clubs to see what they were doing."

Not such an easy task when you didn't have your own phone. Reporters would use one of two phones in the middle of the room to make their calls.

Lindy added: "There were two desks in the middle of the room and they had canopies. If you wanted to use the phone you had to go into one of these booths. They were a bit bashed about."

Not only was she phone-less, Lindy also had to buy her own typewriter and remembers being taken into Wycombe by the chief reporter's deputy to pick one out. She chose a red Olivetti typewriter, which she still has today.

During her six-year career at the BFP Lindy, 54, worked her way up to senior reporter and covered stories ranging from the 1976 heatwave, when people were advised to go without underwear, to the building of the M40.

But it was Lindy's idea for a new column in the paper that would lead to her meeting Joe, her future husband. After persuading the editors that readers would be interested in a weekly pet column, Lindy was put in charge of it. She said: "I used to write a different article every week, it got a lot of reader interest. People were always ringing in with their various pets."

Joe arrived in Wycombe as a temporary duty inspector for the south Bucks branch of the RSPCA in 1976. Being single, he was drafted in when the post became vacant.

As the paper's pet correspondent, Lindy had to call Joe after he took up his new post. Their first meeting was at the then RSPCA kennels in West Wycombe Road, and Joe, now 64, emerged from the cattery in his uniform holding a small, grey kitten.

A short time later the couple met up again on The Rye when Joe was dispatched to tend to a swan which had got a fishing line and tackle stuck in its bill. Lindy and photographer Bob Mead raced off to the park to meet Joe who enlisted her help in the rescue operation.

She said: "He had to grab it out of the water and I was standing watching and he just sort of said here, hold this'. It was quite a big bird and quite heavy.

"He managed to pull the weights and the fishing tackle out of its bill and then he just sort of wandered off to talk to these people who reported it. I was left holding this bird.

"It was getting so heavy I had to put it down and then it pooed all over my skirt! Eventually it found its way back to the water and swam off."

Despite being covered in swan poo Lindy agreed to go out with Joe and in July 1977 they married at High Wycombe register office.

Their wedding was featured in the BFP under the headline "Romance Blossoms At Pets Corner" and according to Lindy her workmates chose the worst picture to go with the report.

Now a married man, Joe was moved to a permanent post at Burton-on-Trent where the couple remained.

Lindy continued to work in print and is now a deputy editor of the Mercury series in Tamworth, but Joe had to retire early due to ill health.

Journalism has remained in the family, however, through the couple's son.

James Young, 26, (pictured left) started working at the Free Press in 2002, and following in his mum's shoes has worked his way up to become the paper's chief sub editor.

Lindy added: "It's really nice I think. It was his own decision, he wanted to go and do journalism and he ended up working on the BFP."

This year is a landmark birthday for us as we celebrate 150 years in print and we're asking any readers with fond memories of our history to get in touch and share their stories. Contact us at Bucks Free Press, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, Loudwater, HP10 9TY or bfpnews@london.newsquest. co.uk or call us on 01494 755081.