WHEN THE Gleaner moved office from Harbour Street to North Street in 1969, it was more than just a change of address for proofreader Harvey Josephs. For five years, he attended Kingston College, which was a hop and skip away from the newspaper's new location.

"It was very emotional. There's something about North Street that's really special for me," he said.

The 71-year-old Josephs leaves The Gleaner this month after 47 years as a proofreader and night editor. That is a long time in journalism for a trained accountant.

Affectionately called Sir Jo, he said he worked for three years as an accountant at the Jamaica Railway Corporation. It was there that a friend who had worked at The Gleaner as a proofreader encouraged him to take a crack at it.

Very exciting

"He told me that it was very exciting, that you learnt something new every day," Josephs recalled.

Josephs took up the challenge and joined The Gleaner in March, 1961. The staff during his early years at The Gleaner would have as much bearing on his professional life as Bishop Percival Gibson and Douglas Forrest had on him as a student at KC.

Editor-in-Chief Theodore Sealy ran the Editorial Department with an iron fist, while Calvin Bowen was news editor. Barbara Gloudon and Keith Brown were also senior members of the newsroom.

Tedious and dangerous

In those days, The Gleaner used the linotype to produce its publications. Josephs remembers that process as tedious and dangerous.

"It spewed lead at times and that could hurt the operators. But I tell you something, there were few errors," he said.

Josephs, who is originally from Perth Town in Trelawny, was honoured by the Press Association of Jamaica in 2006 for his years of service to journalism. A backyard farmer and dog breeder, Josephs says he is looking forward to retirement.

- Howard Campbell