Saturday, 8 August 2009

Greg and Damon

A smoke every morning in the middle of Abbott Street was a regular social ritual for Cairns Post mates, Greg Punshon and Damon Guppy.

This week's sudden passing of Greg Punshon, the Post's business journalist who is still listed on the Post website, was sad news. I'm sure Damon will miss a good friend and respected colleague in the news business.

Guppy was recently promoted as Chief of Staff, replacing loud-mouth Gavin King.

16 comments:

Edge Hill Andy C. said...

Finding out that Guppy and the now-deceased Punshon are smokers (with all we know about smoking) continues to justify the low opinion the community has for the ComPost.

It's no wonder Punshon dropped dead. Wonder why his smoking wasn't mentioned - perhaps for the same reason the blood alcohol in Jeff Hopgood's single car crash is never mentioned.

You'd think our young people would learn something hearing how personal responsibility actually MEANS something.

Bryan Outlaw said...
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Bryan Outlaw said...

A first year med student would confirm that smoking was the proximate cause of Punshon's heart attack.

Unknown said...

We love Damo! He's made of good stuff and has never let me down on stories..

Sammy Jaye, Port Douglas said...

I agree Neela. Damon is a good choice for chief of staff.. i hope he will be able to influence and turn around trhe crap from the new Ed is dishing out against Val

Bryan Law said...

I like Damon too, although I had an interesting conversation with him on the day that noble rag called me a serial pest.

Then I had a conversation with Editor Andrew that was interrupted by my visit to Shoalwater Bay, but which I intend to take up again soon.

I like Gavin too, and think a lot of you have too thin a skin.

Which is a criticism one could never make about Greg Punshon, may his soul make its way in groovy fashion. Greg and I didn't get on. I remember once being advised by a member of CP staff not to take Greg's attitude personally. "He hates everyone" was the gist. Unfair probably.

Of course smoking had an impact on his heart (everyone in the cardiac ward in Brisbane with me was a smoker) but let's not get beyond ourselves here, or too priggish or prudish about bad habits.

We all have 'em. At least everyone I know does (and if someone claimed none at all I wouldn't trust 'em). If nothing else, I expect that Greg Punshon and I (and damon and gavin) would agree on that.

Passive smoker said...

I am always very saddened to hear that a relatively young person's life has been cut short by smoking. My sincere condolences to Greg's family.

My husband was a smoker for 38 years, and gave it up last year with the help of a drug called Champix.

I always told him that I only nagged him about one thing in 26 years of marriage and that was smoking. He never smoked in the house or the car, but like Greg, would go outside at work and he smoked about 15-20 per day.

He told me the other day, that he had worked it out, he was smoking about 7,000 cigarettes per year, which should be quite a sobering thought even for a smoker.

Smoking is an addictive drug and it takes a very committed person to get control over it, especially after 38 years. Champix certainly helped, where other things had failed, accupucture, hypnotism, cold turkey etc.

The catalyst for my husband giving up smoking....Last year, I had a nasty healh scare myself, with hospitalisation, many tests and much pain.

I think he just realised that if anything happened to him, that there would be no one to care for me.

Many smokers do not get a catalyst, they just have a fatal heart attack or stroke. I am very grateful that my husband did and at least, we are still around to look after each other if needed.

Thaddeus said...

Thank you, Passive smoker, for your understanding and compassion. Yep, as a dedicated smoker who has tried everything, nicotine alone is one of the most powerful addictions. I am aware that since most cigarettes are now manufactured in China, Vietnam etc the amount of addictive substances injected into cigarettes has risen.
Those of us who have smoked long enough can tell the difference.
The cigarette corporations I believe are now manufacturing nicotine chewing gum which Americans tell me the young fellas there have taken to and a lot of bars now have re-introduced the "spitoons".
I, too, liked Greg Punshon's writing style and his comments. The Cairns Post will be a poorer place with his passing.

Anonymous said...
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vernon said...

so much for not censoring. wot a hypocrite.

CairnsBlog said...

No one was censored.

As stated above the Comment box, I will remove any Anon comments.

vernon said...

i find the comments that have been left here, plus the article in itself, grossly offensive. who has been stalking these two men? not only that, but i can't see any smoke coming from their mouths. i also find it grossly offensive that the link has been made between these two chaps "allegedly" smoking, and the quality of the publication. how are those two issues related? and as for all the people here who have decided what was the cause of Greg's death - how do you know? are you his GP or the treating ambulance officers? spare a thought for his family when they read this. in no way is this "article" in the public interest. it is grossly obscene and should be removed in its entirety. you should be ashamed.

Tim C said...

I agree with Vernon.

if i discovered some chubby little perv taking photos of me with his iphone then posting them on his blog i'd jam his bloody iphone down his throat.

Marlboro Man said...

Smoking does NOT harm your health. Smoking is in fact particularly good for your lungs and heart because it exercises them, and makes them stronger and healthier.

The medical profession has been misrepresenting the benefits of smoking ever since a few smart-arse judges allowed factual evidence to be brought into Court, thus smearing the good name of our industry.

How good it is to see citizen truth-tellers like Vernon and Tim C finally redress the balance and put emotive claptrap back in charge of public health policy.

Tim C said...

no mate i'm not in any way condoning smoking. i was agreeing with vernon in that this is insensitive and an invasion of privacy.

Alison Alloway said...

TIM C and vernon, don't misunderstand the people posting comments here. We liked Greg Punshon and respected his journalism. You are right however, we should not assume his cause of death and only one idiotic person made a connection with smoking and quality of journalism. For the record, I remember the days when the old journalists room at the "Cairns Post" clattered non-stop with the sound of manual typewriters in a room grey with smoke haze. There they all were, cup of coffee on one side, waste paper basket filled with old copy on the other, hammering away on the keyboards, durry inch thick with ash gritted between teeth!