Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Warm charm and flair made loyal Des a one-off
Friends and colleagues remember former Kentish Gazette journalist
Apopular journalist who went on to launch his own PR business has died at the age of 78. Warm tributes were paid this week to Desmond Connolly, who is fondly remembered throughout the Canterbury area for his time at the Kentish Gazette and then work promoting the Marlowe Theatre and the Canterbury Festival.
He joined the Gazette after leaving Frank Hooker School, now Canterbury High. Former editor Alan Bensted said: “He had no qualifications but I took him on for his sheer enthusiasm. I didn’t regret it.” Des, as he was known, found that his easy manner, charm and curiosity were ideally suited to his new trade and he developed a flair for digging out ‘off-diary’ stories, usually gleaned from the bars of various city hostelries. Whether he was chatting to royalty, the archbishop or ‘the man in the street’, he would be engaging, open and down to earth.
While speaking to Diana, Princess of Wales, on one of her many visits to Canterbury – this time at a local play group – she was momentarily showered in rose petals. The scene inspired Des to name her ‘the petal Princess’, a line used on that week’s Gazette front page. While interviewing an aspiring actress playing at the old Marlowe, he persuaded her to climb onto a nearby rooftop for the accompanying picture. The result was a memorable image of Joanna Lumley against the city’s skyline.
Alan said: “If there was a royal visit or a big star in town, Des was your man.”
Des’s great loves were entertainment and the arts. He had little time for sport but appreciated the social aspect.
His editor once took him to Canterbury Cricket Week and briefed him to “start at one end of the tents, I’ll start at the other”. Hours later the two met, Des well lubricated but with a notebook-full of stories for that week’s paper.
After rising to chief reporter and deputy editor, he left the Gazette to start up his own PR firm, Desmond Connolly Associates, and much of his work revolved around promoting the Marlowe Theatre and the Canterbury Festival. Festival president Peter Williams said: “Many people played an important part in the rebirth and success of the Canterbury Festival. Des Connolly was one of them.
“Des was an excellent journalist but I always felt he had a soft spot for the festival.
“He loved its fun and creativity and he presented the face of the festival over a couple of decades, with flair and enthusiasm.” Des was a great jazz fan and the festival plans to dedicate a concert in his memory in this year’s programme.
His many charitable ventures included being an active member of the organising team that put on the annual Kasra Day, launched by his friends Mahmoud and Maggie Boutorabi in memory of their son Kasra. The events raised £130,000 for local causes. Latterly Des had suffered from ill-health and went to live with his sister Jeanette and her husband Ron Cranfield in Wales. Another former Gazette editor, Bob Bounds, said: “Des was a one-off. A terrifically warmhearted and generous person who was loyal, dependable and wonderful company. His friendships and connections in Canterbury were unparalleled.”
‘If there was a royal visit or a big star in town, Des was your man’