Generosity is something sadly in an ever dwindling source of supply in the modern world, which makes gestures of exceptional generosity all the more memorable.
I will be forever grateful to an American couple in Munich some 25 years ago for taking me into the home for a year when I was living on Platform 3 of the main train station, and it was a pleasure to pay off at least part of the debt last month when they had their best family holiday ever in Jelsa.
And then there was the lady from Derby who saved my ass on honeymoon, when I somehow managed to get all the way to the UNESCO rock-hewn churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia without having enough money to pay the entrance fee. Her generous donation of £50, later repaid, ensured a quick divorce was averted.
But when it comes to jounalism, there is one act of generosity which will probably go unsurpassed. And from a Cork man at that.
Imagine you are a journalist and you score a personal interview with one of the funniest men on the planet, Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols, and then you get a request from a friend (let’s call him Chris Frean, as he might be grumpy if not mentioned) to allow a fat blogger from Hvar to join the party. Lee Murphy not only agreed but led the way in one of the most entertaining half hours of the year.
Our paths have crossed a few times since, partly in his capacity as editor of the sadly now defunct South-East Europe: A Fortnight in Review, and most recently at the Queen’s Birthday party in Zagreb, where it was hard not to be impressed by his effortless introductions for the Total Croatia News projects, from ambassadors to multinational companies.
A busy man with various literary and journalistic projects in Zagreb, Lee has kindly agreed to join us at Total Croatia News, with some initial economic articles to show support, something I am hoping we can turn into a more permanent fixture if our funding plans come off. Read more about Lee – by Lee – below. Thank you for your support, Sir, and your generosity will never be forgotten. You can contact Lee on [email protected]
Join us! We are getting closer to launch and welcome all types of cooperation and collaboration for those interested in this idealistic project. Follow Total Croatia News on Facebook.
“Probably echoing many a foreigner in these lands, Lee found his way to Croatia to start a new life – and while here decided to get married, because why not? Having spent over a decade reading history, philosophy, and politics at University, Lee now spends his time agitating politicos up and down the former Yugoslavia. Past writing gigs include his Primary and Secondary Yearbooks (as well as a few years with his University magazine and an Irish daily evening paper), and more recently he served as Executive Editor for SEE: A Fortnight in Review, a regional business and politics journal. Follows Cork City, West Ham, and Rijeka.”
