Farewell to John
Former Christchurch Star photographer John Mccombe, regarded as an ‘institution’ among this country’s news snappers, died at his home last month, aged 75. Former colleague Dave Cannan, assisted by several past workmates, compiled this tribute to their old
John Mccombe was a superb, award-winning photographer. But he wasn’t one to attend ceremonies to receive the trophies. And nor did he hang his best photos on the walls of his home. Those spaces were reserved for pictures he admired — but taken by others.
It was just his typical, selfeffacing way, his family explained.
Mccombe’s death at his Whangamata home on April 29, surrounded by family, greatly saddened and shocked his numerous friends and former workmates. Only diagnosed a couple of weeks earlier with pancreatic cancer, his rapid deterioration defied optimistic opinions that he might have a month or so longer to deal with his illness.
But, typically, he did not complain about his fate. Business partner David Alexander said in his last conversation with Mccombe, he was “resolute” about the prognosis and adamant he had had a good life.
The pair were partners in a commercial photography company Photosouth Photographers, a business started by Mccombe and his wife Cheryl in 1990 after John left the Christchurch Star around the time the North Island owners were carrying out a series of redundancies.
And how that partnership with Alexander evolved says much about Mccombe’s trademark generosity of spirit.
“He said: ‘Hey David, welcome to the real world mate, but don’t worry, you’re a good
His extra sharp news sense was underpinned by multi-layers of care and compassion. John Crowley
photographer and I’m going to help you out in any way possible’ — and he did.”
Mccombe generously offered him a partnership in the business and the pair maintained this successful arrangement from then on, even after the Mccombes made the huge decision to shift from Christchurch to the Coromandel in 2011, a few months after the devastating February 22, 2011, earthquake.
John Quenton Mccombe was born in Wellington on August 2, 1945 to Bob and Cherie. A brother Bryan would arrive later. The family later moved, first to Hawke’s Bay and then to Thames as Bob was transferred through his job with New Zealand Post.
One of Bob’s hobbies was photography, which was to influence his son’s decision when it came to choosing a career after leaving Thames High School. Initially Mccombe thought of becoming a teacher and duly enrolled at Ardmore Training College near Auckland. But when a job for a cadet photographer at the Thames Star newspaper was advertised, Mccombe abandoned his teaching aspirations and began his media career on April 24, 1964.
It was to prove a lifechanging decision and Mccombe would go on to work as a highly-regarded news photographer for the Sunday News (1965), the Waikato Times (1967), The Press in Christchurch (1972) and then the rival Christchurch Star (1975) for the next 15 years.
Later, as a freelancer, he was the Christchurch-based photographer for both the Sunday Star Times and the NZ Women’s Weekly while he was the foundation photographer for the Avenues magazine from 2009, the same year he published a glossy photographic book Images of a Nation — Canterbury; A Journey from the Heart.
In 1966, when he worked for the Sunday News, Mccombe married Cheryl Cullen, whose father Clarry also worked for NZ Post in Thames.
Shifting his family to the South Island in 1972 to work at The Press was a massive career move by Mccombe. He was a member of the morning newspaper’s first illustrations department, headed by Les Bloxham, and worked alongside Des Woods, Barry Sharpe and Neville Marriner.
But across town Mccombe soon got to know his Christchurch Star rival cameramen well, often enjoying their company socially, and thriving on the competitive nature that existed between them, especially with Stuart Menzies.
And so, in 1975, Mccombe jumped ship and joined his Kilmore St-based evening paper contemporaries, the illustrations department being run by Max Wederell, who commanded a star-studded team that included Menzies, Neville Hawke, Derrick Tonkin, and in later years Simon Baker, Don Scott and several others.
Working alongside these “guns” brought out the best in Mccombe as both a photographer and a journalist, honing his skills alongside his talented colleagues. Former Star chief reporter John Crowley recalls Mccombe becoming “the complete newsman”.
“John’s skills were not confined to those of a photographer when we went on some of those more challenging jobs. His extra sharp news sense was underpinned by multi-layers of care and compassion.
“These were traits which helped reporters — young and old. In the most stressful times he was a cool head and a guiding hand at arm’s length. These qualities were so apparent too when it came to his own profession — one in which he had few peers.”
Mccombe would eventually become The Star’s chief photographer.
Away from his work, Mccombe was a man of many interests, chief of those being his family. But he was also an avid hunter, fisherman, boatee, golfer (later in life) and a crack clay target shooter.
How many colleagues knew he was the 1992 New Zealand clay sparrow champion shooter and a national clay target shooting representative while a member (and former vice president) of the Belfast Gun Club?
After a series of earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 left their two-storey South Shore villa unrepairable, the Mccombes thought about buying land and starting afresh on the West Coast. Instead, they ended up visiting Thames.
As Mccombe told the New Zealand Herald in February 2015, the four-year anniversary of the big quake, he and Cheryl spent the night in Whangamata and, on a whim, called a real estate agent and found themselves inspecting a lovely home overlooking the harbour. Impulsively they made an offer and a few months later began a new chapter in their lives in the Coromandel.
Mccombe said the speed of the decision stunned family and friends but it proved to be “the best decision of our lives”.
He joined the local golf and boating clubs and took a keen interest in environmental issues, eventually becoming an outspoken chairman of the Whangamata Harbour Care group, leading the charge on mangrove eradication.
Mccombe is survived by his wife Cheryl, children Melody and Kevin, three grandchildren and one greatgranddaughter.
—