New chapter for intrepid journalist Sugan
Sugan was also a very much a voice for his community, in particular those down-trodden and in need of their cause being highlighted.
Sugan Naidoo (41), a true son of the South Coast Herald, will be pursuing new adventures after nearly 22 years with the newspaper.
His father, Roger, was himself a Herald stalwart, worked in the darkroom for many years.
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After Roger died suddenly in October 1997, Sugan made the darkroom his own.
Starting as a young boy straight out of school, he began developing black and white images, under the guidance of men like former production manager Wally Archer, and senior colleagues Joe Moodley and Sew Ramdhun.
He ended his Herald journey as a senior journalist, widely respected in the community, and capable of handling just about anything thrown at him.
After his three-year stint in the dark room, Sugan began taking photos on weekends and writing captions for those photos.
That’s as far as he thought it would go. He couldn’t have been more wrong.
Mentored by former editor Colleen Haggard, he began to handle hard news stories, working especially well with the Saps and traffic authorities.
It was probably his own fault – he couldn’t resist racing out to crime or accident scenes, to capture what might be happening there.
If a siren was heard, Sugan was out of the office in a flash, camera bag over the shoulder.
This was in the days before websites, social media and mobile phones, where everyone can now be a photographer of sorts.
He was so ‘on it’ that he sometimes got to scenes before the relevant authorities, or so it seemed.
It was joked at times that he was probably more policeman or traffic officer than journalist!
Sugan was also very much a voice for his community, in particular the downtrodden and those in need of their cause being brought to attention.
His neighbourhood news column became a regular fixture, highlighting cultural events on the Hindu and Tamil calendars.
Over the years he has proven to be a massive asset to the company, always reliable, eager and determined.
He has always been a self-starter, very seldom needing to be coaxed or coerced to get out there and find the latest news.
No doubt these attributes will stand him in good stead as he pursues a new course in life.
He won’t be leaving the area, although he will be travelling extensively, even possibly overseas if the opportunity presents itself.
And the good news is that his wife Sharlene will still be working at the Herald.
She is the manager’s PA and so hopefully we’ll still see him pop in from time to time.
We’ll know when we hear: “Hey, Sha what’s for lunch!”
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