SCRAPBOOK: MEMORIES OF RAY WAINES-BEHIND THE CAMERA 1960-1984

A FEW MEMORIES OF RAY WAINES BEHIND THE CAMERA 1960-1984  I

1.  That’s Ken Lowe behind me and Bill White helping with the MkII camera.  Notice the dress code for cameramen in the early 1960s!  Thanks to Mike Varga, I now have this old camera at home … a real treasure! (early 1960s)

2.  I have just set-up this Marconi MkII camera at Empire Pool.  That’s Harry Hooper and George Lyske below me on the pool deck.  It was 1960 when I started working as a cameraman on television productions and live telecasts such as the Grey Cup football game at Empire Stadium, Vancouver.

3.  Reach For The Top with host Terry Garner started in 1961, and on the first show my camera was on Terry.  This photo was taken 20 years later!  Terry retired as quiz master and went back to teaching at BCIT.  That’s a 5 x 1 Zoomar lens, our first studio zoom using a push rod that caused many frustrating zooms!

4.  Let’s Go in Studio 41 at our old Georgia Street location.  I am using a Marconi MkIII B&W camera and Tony Zeffertt is on camera 1.  Just ahead is Bob Hepworth (audio) adjusting a mic stand for performers Terry Jacks, Gillian Russell and Susan Pesklevits.  My camera is on the house band, the Classics. (1965)

5.  Our first mobile colour camera, a GE 250.  This was an exciting time to be back in Montreal and, after a 3 week colour course, 4 of these cameras came back to Vancouver to cover the Grey Cup for the first time in colour!  TP Ken Lowe had his Marconi cameras up in the Gondola as back-up! (1966)

6.  That’s Patsy MacDonald taking time to smell the roses!  Got a smile from Ken Gibson, our Director/Producer.  We were taping with the Irish Rovers near Bladen (by Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England).  Winston Churchill was buried beside this church, St. Martins.  Our first colour hand-held camera was a Fernseh KCR. (1973)

7.  Rich Little’s Christmas Carol, performed in Studio 40, had a wonderful set designed by Doug Higgins.  That’s Rich Little in the top hat, and Gordy Gill was floor director.  I remember how real the snow was as it softly fell from the shakers above and of course it was imported from Los Angeles!  Everytime after I dollied down the street, the stagehands had to backfill my tracks!  Rich Little’s performance was incredible and won him “The Golden Rose of Montreux” award!  My studio colour camera was an EMI 2005.  (1978)

8.  That’s Ken Berube behind me, recovering fibre optic cable 2 KM long the day after a Men’s World Cup Downhill race at Whistler.  These twin fibre cables provide4d us with superior quality pictures but our Borker crew installing them high in the trees took a lot of time and care.  Then we had no choice but to coil it all the way down the mountain!  80 lbs heavier by the time I reached the bottom!  (1984)

In addition, here are a few photos of Ray with some of his colleagues through the years...

a. Ray with Harry Hooper and Andy Martens.

b. Ray with Doug Gillingham.

c. Bob Hepworth, Jack Bell and Ray.

d. Ray, Bruce McDonald and Hugh Henderson behind the cameras.

e. John Crawford, Patsy MacDonald, Ken Gibson and Ray.

f. Peter Lyew, Bruce McDonald, Gene Baedak, Rick Smalley, John Collins, Ray and Michael Varga.