Willi Noelle - A Great Shooting Star

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Shooting Star! - Willi Noelle

Willi Noelle used to be a cameraman for Austrian TV. A job full of surprises. And, the surprises he got one night in Beirut were not only thrilling but dangerous as well. It was 1972 - just before Christmas.

Willi Noelle and his team had gone to Beirut  to meet   Yassir Arafat.  Three  days were all that they had. Beirut was simply too dangerous. Leaving the hotel was out of the question. Waiting was all they could do. Waiting for a call that might never come!

The first two days brought nothing at all. And, day number three, their very last day, was the same. Nothing! Nothing at all. And so, at eleven that night, Willi Noelle and his team went down to the bar for one or two rounds before bed. They'd soon be on their way home. Going home with no story. Not very nice. 

Then came the call!  Outside in the dark was a car. It was waiting for them.

It was pitch black as Willi Noelle and his team were driven at speed through the night time streets of Beirut. Streets full of shadows and danger. And, only Willi Noelle who was sitting in the front was able to see the signals the driver was flashing. The shadows were guarding their route.

Soon they arrived at a small dimly lit courtyard. There was menace in the air. Uniformed soldiers were smoking and hanging around.  Willi Noelle and his team were afraid. Very afraid. And, there in the courtyard they waited.

Then - through the still of the night came a sound. The sharp clack clack clack  of a stick. A small lame man with a hunchback came out of the shadows. An officer. And, his oversized uniform made him ridiculous.  Only signs were exchanged. And then, Willi Noelle and his team followed the officer's clack clack clack  back into the shadows.

They came to a dimly lit door in a wall. And there, deep underground was a bunker. A bunker smelling of waiting and stale Turkish smoke.

The furniture was simple. An English red leather three piece suite, a table, and on one of the walls a mountainous landscape. But, there were small comforts, too. The offer of a strong Lebanese coffee and an even stronger Turkish cigarette was gladly accepted. But, this bunker was nothing more than a hole in the ground. A place only for hiding.

Then, as his camera was being admired by an Hungarian, Willi Noelle thought he saw the wall move!  He wasn't dreaming. The wall wasn't a wall, it was a screen. And, there in the shadows of the shadows and waiting for them was the unshaven and smiling Yassir Arafat. And, Yassir Arafat, the great PLO leader was impressive. His charisma was powerful. He was bigger than himself.  They started to talk. This was what they had come for. They were not disappointed. This was one of the most interesting and powerful discussions Willi Noelle had ever experienced. Yassir Arafat did have a message. And, he told it.  

A few hours later, Willi Noelle and his team took off from Beirut. They were happy and tired. They had got what they'd come for. A  brilliant interview with Yassir Arafat. Then, high up in the sky, all became clear.

No passwords had been used to enter the bunker. The key had been the clack clack clack of the officer's stick.   Had Willi Noelle and his team been captured or taken they would have had nothing to say.

And the Hungarian? He was an arms and explosives expert. He was checking the camera. It could easily have been a bomb or a gun.

Then Willi Noelle thought about their three day wait in the hotel. And, this too became clear. Checking and watching. Was Willi Noelle really Willi Noelle? Was Willi Noelle's team really Willi Noelle's team? There's no such thing as trust in a war.

Of course, Willi Noelle completed many more missions. But, his days in Beirut were the days that stood out. Chancing with death in a city of war, and bringing home an interview with one of history's greatest. Yassir Arafat. The most feared, most admired and most wanted man in the world.

Willi Noelle was a camera man for Austrian television. And, more often than not, there was more of a story behind the getting of the story than the story itself!

Willi Noelle, a great shooting star.

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Albert Gunther - An Afternoon Flight and a Very Hard Landing - A bus that took off and flew!

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Way-homes on London red buses are for taking it easy. These stop and start trips allow time for reading the paper, and, if sitting upstairs, the view of a London evening on its way into darkness is the best in the world! But, passengers to Dulwich in South London got more than they paid for a long time ago. While riding home for their suppers one late afternoon, they not only flew, but made headlines as well!

It was the 30^th of December, the last working day of 1952. Albert Gunter had just steered his number 78 double decker bus onto London's world famous Tower Bridge. All of a sudden, he felt his bus going-up! The arm of the bridge on which he was driving was rising! And, it looked as though his bus was about to make history. The first ever London bus to fly off a bridge and sink in the Thames! But, Albert Gunter knew what to do. He went into action.

Automatically, Albert Gunter dropped down in gear and put his foot on the gas. His bus needed speed. He only had seconds. The gap between the two arms of the bridge was getting bigger and bigger as each second passed. His bus had to fly over the gap or crash into the river. Faster and faster he drove. He had no other choice. There was no going back! And, Albert Gunter succeeded. His bus took off and flew for just a few seconds. And, that was enough.

Down came the bus with a bang! It was loud. The passengers and seats were thrown about as the bus came to a stop on the other arm of the bridge. And, thankfully, only one or two minor injuries. But, that wasn't the end of the story.

Albert Gunter was decorated for bravery by the Queen. He had saved the lives of his passenger's. And, by-the-way, that was the first ever medal that Queen Elizabeth the Second awarded. A medal, not only for bravery, but also for flying a bus. And, all London joined in with its praise and its thanks. And, Albert Gunter was made London's 1952 man of the year. And, that was good so. Albert Gunter had not only saved the lives of 63 people, he had given them a story to take home as well. The day they flew home in a bus!

Albert Gunter and a very hard landing. An incredible story. London 1952.

The Cycle of Life - Changes - Thoughts by Martin Glossauer

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Changes are part of everyday life. And, as Martin Glossauer discovered, the Tour de France, was and still is the perfect example of change. He was watching a film.

The film Martin Glossauer was watching was made just after the Second World War. It was all about the Tour de France. And, Martin Glossauer noticed three interesting changes. Helmets, smoking, and wine. Nobody was wearing a helmet. The race was just as dangerous then as it is now. Then came the smoking. Most of the cyclists were not only smoking during the breaks, but, whilst cycling as well! And, refreshments have completely changed, too. The favourite refresher was a glass of red wine. During the cycling and resting as well. Then, Martin Glossauer started to think. There had been other changes, too.

There were no seat belts in cars when Martin Glossauer was young. And, very few motor-cyclists wore helmets. These were things that nobody thought of. And, smoking, too was widely accepted. Nowhere was free from the smell of old smoke. Buses, trains, aeroplanes, offices, cinemas, and homes. Everywhere was the same.

And, one last drink for the road was a common farewell. And, more often than not, one last drink became more.

We have seen many changes. Many positive things. So, remember the now, it won't last for ever. Things disappear all the time and are quickly forgotten. And, as Martin Glossauer believes, personal diaries are the best way of saving the past. Our presents will then be kept for the future. But, personal diaries are vanishing, too.

Changes are part of everyday life. Things come and go, and others remain and change with the times. And, as Martin Glossauer discovered whilst watching a film, the Tour d. France was and still is the perfect example of change. Go get a note book and start writing things down. We might be remembered, not completely forgotten. The future will say a very big thank you.