HAROLD HOYTE was a visionary who was responsible for the NATION newspaper having cricket pictures taken by its own photographer appearing alongside reports of West Indies’ Test matches by Tony Cozier.
Acclaimed photographer Gordon Brooks said Hoyte paved the way for him to travel outside the Caribbean to take pictures of West Indian cricketers in action.
“He was instrumental in my first trip outside of the West Indies in 1984, taking cricket photographs in England. It wasn’t budgeted for but he decided that it was really worth it to allow me to join Tony Cozier, who was already assigned for the international television coverage.
“It was a first for a West Indian newspaper and a landmark thing for the NATION to have its own photographer covering a Test match in England,” added Brooks.
“He was a fantastic editor and a real gentleman. We had a very good rapport. He loved cricket and one of his idols was Lawrence Rowe after he made 302 at Kensington Oval.”
Close relationship
Brooks, who like Hoyte was a founding member of the newspaper, said they had a close relationship from their early days in journalism at The Advocate with the Friday Calypso newspaper.
“Our friendship started from there, and then with the advent of the NATION our friendship grew to the extent that when I was in Bay Street and he was living in Chelsea Road, we had the unique thing of carpooling. I would take his children to school one week and the next he would take mine.
“I would like to offer my condolences to his wife Noreen, children, sisters and his entire family,” Brooks added. (EZS)
