Former colleagues pay tribute to JB and his heart of gold

Newspaper editor Shaun Green joined the company in the late 1980s as a reporter and said he found John quite intimidating at times.

‘He had been at the Press seemingly forever, clearly had the respect and friendship of most of the island and was quite happy to let you know where you had gone wrong,’ he said.

‘But you soon got to know that beneath JB’s sometimes gruff exterior was a heart of gold and a man with a lovely, wry sense of humour.

‘Day and night for decades, he and Brian [Green] were the public face of the newspaper at accidents, fires, events and sports – and you couldn’t have wished for better.’

Sports editor Rob Batiste remembered his ‘no nonsense’ approach.

‘John was the consummate professional: did the job, no fussing, no drama. Very reliable, prepared to work hard.’

Mr Batiste also had memories of John’s sociable side: ‘At firm events he was great company and with wife Jean so happy to socialise with colleagues and I always got the impression he loved the Guernsey Press and what it stood for.’

He was also a modest man, recalled Mr Batiste: ‘He didn’t have an ego and didn’t like those who did.’

Former GP photographer Chris George joined the Guernsey Press in 1989, when John was chief photographer, which made him Mr George’s boss.

‘John was a forthright person who didn’t suffer fools easily with all his years of experience as a press photographer and you knew exactly where you stood with him,’ he said.

‘Sometimes working in the media on controversial stories you can find yourself in awkward situations – par for the course in a newsroom I guess – and many photographers would shy away from some jobs, but never John.

‘He would get the job done and on to the next one taking any flak in his stride.

‘I have great respect for John and learned a lot from him about the workings of the Press.

‘I’ll miss his mischievous grin and those incredible sideburns.’

Steve Falla was a reporter during the ’80s: ‘The Guernsey Press newsroom contained some strong personalities in the 1980s and John Brenton was one of them,’ he said.

‘Those were the days when people stayed in a job for life and John was a Guernsey Press “lifer”.’

He said the photographers were often under a lot of pressure with the news diary full of back-to-back jobs.

John was a great support of the paper, he said: ‘I remember JB giving short shrift to anybody who dared complain “here comes the Press, late again”.’

Sub-editor Dave Edmonds started out as a ‘very nervous, completely inexperienced reporter’ but said that to be assigned to the same story as John was extremely reassuring.

‘John was recognised wherever he went and, because of that, doors were opened that would otherwise have stayed shut,’ he said.

‘He was always extremely professional, whether taking pictures of the Bailiff or a school football team.

‘I recall an eviction in St Andrew’s where we stayed inside the house with the family for much of the day, a Remembrance service when it was bitterly cold, the wind was howling and there was no such thing as the luxury of gloves for John, he couldn’t operate his camera while wearing them.

‘Although how he did with numb fingers only he would know.

‘That was a particularly poignant occasion as the then Lt-Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Michael Wilkins, was so obviously seriously ill.’

In that pre-mobile phone era, middle-of-the-night phone calls for a crash or fire were seen as part of the job.

‘The phrase “old school” can have a derogatory meaning,’ said Mr Edmonds.

‘But John was “old school” in the best possible way – a gentleman, a professional, a hard worker and one of the Guernsey Press’s all-time greats.’

John Brenton died suddenly, at home, on 9 January, aged 89. He leaves a widow, Jean, and was the beloved father of Louise and Stuart and grandfather of Hannah. He was the brother of Ron and the late Barbara.