Oldest journalist’s final deadline
Charismatic storyteller gained information by bailing out infamous madam in return for news scoops
New Zealand’s oldest journalist, former Herald reporter and photographer Alan Sayers who got international scoops on Sir Ed Hillary and Dame Jean Batten, has died, aged 101. But his memory lives on in the form of photos and articles, some world famous. Sayers got his lucky break as a teenager when he saw a huge fire in Auckland while walking home from cricket. He whipped out a camera and took some snaps, running them up to the Herald’s offices. Sir Henry Horton, impressed, offered him a cadetship. He never looked back. Journalism was in his blood, and human interest stories were his specialty, daughter Christina Sayers Wickstead said. But some of his methods would be frowned on today. He once disguised himself as a chorister and snuck a camera into St Mary’s Cathedral under his robe to snap a shot of Auckland’s new bishop being consecrated. One of his best sources was Flora MacKenzie, New Zealand’s most infamous madam, who owned a brothel on Karangahape Rd. She fed him stories from the city’s seedy underbelly; in exchange Sayers would bail her out when she was arrested. Alan Sayers smuggled a camera in to photograph the 1940 ordainment of the Bishop of Auckland and snapped Jean Batten, who he described as “drop-dead gorgeous”.
Christina was inspired to become a journalist because of her dad’s approach to the job.
“He passionately loved a good story. He taught me a story well told about the smallest of things can have the greatest of impacts.”
He photographed a German mine being dismantled on New Zealand shores in WWII, witnessed the last hanging in Mt Eden prison, and photographed aviator Jean Batten as she landed (he told people she was “drop-dead gorgeous”).
He also stumbled upon an unknown Auckland beekeeper out training to climb Mount Everest, took some photos and wrote a story. When Edmund Hillary made it to the top, Sayers syndicated the photo and made a small fortune.
He was charismatic and got people to open up and trust him, which gave the edge to his stories, Christina said.
“His big motto in life was that nothing great is easily won. If the story came easy you didn’t get the real story, so go back and dig because they just told you what they wanted to.”
Sayers received a Queen’s honour for service to journalism.
He served as a Naval Intelligence officer in WWII, and won a bronze medal for New Zealand in sprinting at the British Empire Games.
In his 80s and 90s he took on a group of people who were set-netting at Whangaparaoa — eventually getting the bylaws changed to protect local marine life. In the process he became “a huge local hero”, Christina said. Aged 96 he wrote “Fred the Needle”, about his good friend and rugby player, Sir Fred Allen, and, at 98, he wrote the autobiographical Deadline.
Sayers died peacefully on Saturday, at home at Arkles Bay. He was nursed by wife June, 86. “He lived his whole life on his terms and he died on his terms,” Christina said. “It was absolutely beautiful.”
The family have been “blown away” by the response to his passing. The Auckland Council, where her brother Greg Sayers is a councillor, paused to acknowledge his passing.
A private service and cremation has been held. Next month a celebration will be held at the waterfront in Arkles Bay to remember Sayers.