The news of a horrible accident was flashed to the press office.....A helicopter picking up Brian Reid who had come off near Ballaugh Bridge had frightened a pony which somehow managed to get on the road. This road was the approach to Ballaugh Bridge and there were racing motorcycles bearing down. Unfortunately rider Eugene (Gene) McDonnell had tried to miss the pony but as he veered the pony walked into his path. Both pony and Gene died, and the bike ended up in the garage forecourt.

The commentator on-site in the Raven Hotel was Geoff Cannell who was deeply shocked to witness the event

I was immediately roped in to take a number of journalists and photographers (some in my car, the rest following in a variety of vehicles) via Ramsey and the northern back roads round to Ballaugh.

I know all these roads so it did not take long to get to Ballaugh. The pony had already been lifted into a truck and Gene had been taken away. Unfortunately there were a number of journalists who were only there for vivid spectator reports and for any pictures that had been taken by the crowd.

I was a bit disillusioned by the morbid interest shown such as clambering into the truck to photograph the dead pony, this sick interest being repeated a number of years later when in the press office I was taking some of the pressure off the late Peter Kneale by advising various members of the press how to get to places of interest and what to watch for when they got there.

Peter used to say " If you need any help, see Ian" so I enjoyed using my knowledge to the good. However it was one of the national newspapers who had sent over a TT virgin who came to me and asked "Where can I go to see a crash ?"

I felt it to be entirely inappropriate and sent him to Governors Bridge to the delight of the well-established reporters.......

The chap I sent to the slow hairpin was not welcome in the press office after that but I took him aside and said that we weren't there to see crashes...

	MIKE HAILWOOD AND MICK WOOLLETT TT 1978

My sincerest thanks to Peter Kneale and Harry Martland who granted me press office facilities for a good number of years---I am honoured to have worked with the cream of motorsport journalists--including Leslie Nichol (Express Newspapers) George Turnbull (Telegraph), Ted McCauley (Mirror), Norrie Whyte (MCN), Denis Parkinson (BT Phone results), Annie Briggs ( CEEFAX ), Nick Harris, Fred Clark and John Brown plus countless foreign media representatives--



And thank you to Simon Crellin, Phil Edge and the present staff of the Press Centre from whom I get the accreditation I value so much.

IN MEMORY OF DAVID JEFFERIES