Farewell to a kind and loyal friend
By Andy Spearman
What can you say when a man you have grown to love passes on? I was too shocked to put pen to paper yesterday when I heard that fellow photographer and kind friend Jimmy Weldon had succumbed to the cancer that had so recently taken over his body.
Last year I had the pleasure of helping Jimmy prepare his last book “Jimmy’s Times as a Photographer” for publication. Sadly, those times as a photographer have now come to an end but luckily it included Jimmy’s life story ably written by his good friend Harry O’Reilly.
The last time I was with Jimmy was in his house just three weeks ago. I was returning some lighting equipment and wanted to get it back to him because I was going away for two weeks holiday the next morning and thought he might need it.
I had known for some time that Jimmy had been diagnosed with bowel cancer but he remained cheerful throughout. He was determined to beat it and was making plans to reopen his back garden studio because he knew that, whatever way it panned out, he wasn’t going to be as active in the future.
He joked about the treatment because the chemo he was receiving affected his complexion and he appeared tanned and fit looking. “People will think I’ve taken up golf!” he said.
The very last words Jimmy spoke to me were to wish me a good holiday and “don’t worry, if you need me to take any pictures for you while you’re away just text me and it’ll be done.”
A few days later word filtered through to me in Spain that Jimmy had been taken into the Lourdes Hospital. A few days after that I was told he was in an induced coma. Then came yesterday’s shocking news.
Jimmy was not your average photographer, he wasn’t that interested in fancy cameras, expensive lenses and gadgets because he understood that the most important aspect of photography was in front of the camera, the subject.
Nor was he ambitious. That was because he was working at the one thing he wanted to be doing – photographing the people and events of the community that he lived in all his life – and he loved it.
To his credit, there can’t be many people or events in the Drogheda area that Jimmy hasn’t photographed over the years. It’s a debate for another day, but I think that his archive should be preserved in some way for the people of Drogheda who he loved so dearly. Along with his five books, it would be a great legacy for the town he loved.
When I first met Jimmy he was working as a barman, in the Weavers I think it was, he was a good barman because he knew everyone and always had a cheerful outlook. He also had a great gift in that he could remember everyone’s name.
He moved from there to the Drogheda Credit Union where once again his welcoming smile and knowledge of all things Drogheda stood him in good stead.
Sometime in the mid to late eighties Jimmy told me he wanted to become a professional photographer and asked me what I thought of the idea. I’m sorry to say that I tried to talk him out of it because it is a hard business to make money in.
Thankfully he ignored my advice and he embarked on a career that he worked hard at and enjoyed for over thirty years. Often we would be covering the same event alongside each other and there would be a friendly rivalry between us as to who would get “the picture”.
Like everyone in the Drogheda area I will miss Jimmy. His friendship, beaming smile, generosity, “Buongiorno Andy!” greeting and his readiness at any time to do a favour will leave a big gap in my life and also in the Drogheda community.
Rest in Peace Jimmy, you’ll be sorely missed. I extend my condolences to his loving wife Katherina, sister Mary, brothers Padser and Paulo.
Jimmy’s funeral will take place on Monday morning at 11.45am in the Augustinian Church, Shop Street followed by burial in Calvary Cemetery.
