40 Years of Publishing Innovation …Created by Scientists, for Scientists


by Graham Meller, Buttonwood Marketing Ltd


Its Spring 1962, Harold Macmillan is Prime Minster of the United Kingdom, Elvis Presley is topping the charts and Old Albanians are playing local rivals Verulamians RFC. The result of the rugby match is not known, but a conversation that took place in the bar after the game was to help shape the laboratory equipment market for decades to come.


Twenty three year old Michael Pattison is playing fl anker for Old Albanians. A recent chemistry graduate from Kings College London, Michael is undecided about how to exploit his recently acquired qualifi cation and is enjoying his rugby whilst working as a rating offi cer for the local council. His opposing centre is Dennis McGreivy ; a local apprentice.


After a couple of pints of beer, both players discover a shared dream – to travel the world and experience different cultures. Today, this might not seem a particularly unusual aspiration, but in 1962, international travel was perceived to be the reserve of royalty and fi lm stars. Despite fi tting in neither category, Michael and Dennis set about preparing for their trip by purchasing a Citroën 2CV and contacting an array of businesses seeking sponsorship. These efforts were rewarded with donations of spare tyres, batteries, biscuits, cigarettes and beer and in the October of 1962 the two young men loaded the car with all of the donations, a selection of provisions and a 12-bore shotgun. It was anticipated that some game – rabbit or duck might liven up the probable lean diet. In the event it was never used and later traded with the Taliban.


Travelling the World in a 2CV


And so began an exciting two and half years adventure that spread across the globe and provided both young men with high levels of resilience and self-confi dence; characteristics that would help them greatly in later years. Each of the countries that the boys visited provided a different challenge and an opportunity for learning new skills. For example, in Tehran, Michael became a part-time English teacher, which forced him to improve his grammar and literacy with the aid of a number of classical text books. Other experiences included being attacked by wild dogs in Turkey; and in Jordan the boys were evicted from a temporary campsite that they had established in what turned out to be King Hussein’s garden!


In the 1960s adventures of this nature were extremely unusual and Michael’s letters were regularly published in the ‘Herts Advertizer’ a local newspaper in the UK. This was Michael’s fi rst involvement with publishing, but at that stage he had no specifi c plans to pursue this as a career.


Sadly, Michael’s father died in 1963 and Michael returned home from Tehran for one month to attend the funeral. During this time another 1963 event took place which, more than any other, was to shape the rest of his life; he met up with Janice who was keeping her horse Nimrod at his family house, Newgate, Nimrod later had a road named after him and Newgate became the foundation of his business. However, his travels continued and so Michael and Janice’s early relationship was confi ned to the pages of hand-written letters.


Michael with the Old Albanians team


Now. Back in India, Michael found himself again drawn into the world of publishing; helping Arthur Swinson research his book ‘Six minutes to sunset - the story of General Dyer and the Amritsar affair’ April 1919.


Before their travels had started Dennis had met Harrow School educated Prince Chula Chakrabongse, a member of the Siamese (Thai) Royal Family, and as a result, when they arrived in Bangkok they were greeted by a chauffeured Rolls Royce and when they ventured further into the country they were given a note by General Prapas, Thailand’s Interior Minister, instructing anyone they should ask to give them a lift! The General opened the Cambodian border so they could visit Angkor Wat. It was here they met Dennis’ future wife who was an American Olympic swimmer. Later in the United States they had a son named Thai.


Pattison in Thailand


After hitch-hiking across Malaya, the boys caught a boat to Perth, Australia, and fi nally separated so that Michael could travel to meet relatives in Sydney. However, before arriving in Sydney, Michael found work in the middle of the desert on a construction project, building the road between Perth and Adelaide. This was to become a very profi table venture for Michael, because on hearing that he was a chemist, the mining company Broken Hill promoted him to the position of explosives engineer, or ‘powder monkey’ as he was affectionately known to his colleagues. The work was hard, and the dust and heat were oppressive, Adelaide reported earthquakes in the desert, but it paid very well and enabled Michael to travel to South America via Japan. At the time, many young Japanese were travelling to Buenos Aries on the same boat and to while away the time, Michael and the young Japanese men spent most of their time competing at Judo.


Pattison and McGreivy and their 2CV.


The 2CV was eventually sold (at a profi t) in Kathmandu and the boys teamed up with a young Englishman named Tim Page. Tim fl ew with them to Calcutta and since he was without funds, the boys suggested that he should exploit his interest in photography by attempting to photograph confl icts in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. He did so, and has since been the subject of many documentaries and two fi lms. He has authored many books, including ‘Page after Page’ and it is also believed that Tim was part of the inspiration for the character of the journalist played by Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse


During his time in South America, Michael visited every country by hitch hiking in very strange vehicles and water craft, and experienced everything that the continent had to offer, including Hepatitis resulting in hospitalisation in Bolivia. One of his most memorable trips was to visit the Iguaçu Falls which stretch across the Brazil/Argentine border and have a fl ow capacity of three times that of Niagara Falls. A photo that Michael took of the Iguaçu Falls appeared in his fi rst environmental publication. But more of that later.


Meanwhile, Janice, at the tender age of 19, had taken a job in Connecticut as an Au Pair, and Michael was missing her, so he took a long journey on a Greyhound Bus across the USA and paid her a visit. This turned out to be a costly event for Janice because by now Michael had spent all of his Australian wages and so she paid for his return fl ight to the UK. So, in 1965 the young couple returned home in time for Christmas, and announced their engagement. Michael says it was the least he could do to show his gratitude, but Janice says it was because she took pity on him.


INTERNATIONAL LABMATE - APRIL 2014


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