The Eid this year was particularly special for one Canadian citizen, who flew into Cairo just in time for the feast. After depositing his luggage at his hotel, his first port of call was – yes, you've guessed – Floor 11 in the Gomhuria Building, home to the offices of The Egyptian Gazette and its weekly sister publication, the Egyptian Mail. Our visitor, Roger Croft, worked for the two newspapers almost half a century ago, from 1963 to 1965, in the days when the papers each cost 30 milliemes (3 piastres). He joined us from England, his land of origin, having been recruited for the newspaper by one of the senior Egyptian editors, who'd flown to London, in order to interview him and brief him on the daunting task ahead. Many things have changed since Roger was in Cairo, not least the staff of the two newspapers – he even predates our longest currently serving member of staff, head proofreader Mr el-Sebai, who started working for The Egyptian Gazette and the Egyptian Mail 40 years ago! After leaving Egypt in the mid-sixties, Roger went on to enjoy a very successful international career as a journalist and author. We were delighted when he turned up to see us the other day, as he returned to where his career all started. In fact, we weren't at all surprised to see him, because, as we all know, he who drinks of the waters of the Nile always returns. In any case, we hope he comes to see us again soon, so he can share some more of his many memories with us.
