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Monkey business on the farm is captured by Jim
2/ 2/2008
OCCASIONALLY Observer photographers grumble about a mundane job they have been sent to cover but, in all honesty, none will ever say the job is boring.
Take the case of Jim Rowbotham, a former chief photographer at the Observer – and a man still hard at work at our sister paper, the Heywood Advertiser, even at the ripe old age of 80!
In March, 1971, Jim was enjoying a rare day at home when the phone rang.
But we’ll let Jim get on with telling the story ...
"It was the lady at the furniture shop. ‘A man has just called in,’ she said with a smile in her voice. ‘He says he has been to Bamford and is sure he has seen a monkey riding round a field on a pig’s back’.
"She pauses. ‘At least he thinks it was a monkey on a pig’s back’.
" ‘Thanks, I say,’ thinking what an excuse to miss even dreaming about those household chores I should be doing. My wife will never believe this one!
"Ten minutes and three inquiries later and I’m at Bowling Green Farm, Bamford, chatting to a Polish soldier turned pig breeder Edward Krasowski. ‘Yes I have a monkey,’ he says, and raises his voice.
" ‘Tich! Ringo!,’ he shouts and across the field comes a crossbred sheepdog with a small monkey perched firmly on its back.
"Ringo trots out of sight into a barn but Tich jumps smartly off its back, straight on to the back of a nearby pig, then another pig and another, till he has crossed the farmyard without getting his feet wet.
" ‘Best jockey in the business but doesn’t like getting his feet muddy,’ says Edward."
Well that was Jim’s story anyway and Observer readers better believe it. For today, we publish some of the photos Jim took down on the farm that memorable day - click on 'View gallery' ...
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