In November 2007, there were whispers that the New Straits Times Press (NSTP) Bhd was planning to sell the then 111-year-old The Malay Mail newspaper.
Tensions were high and the name Tony Francis was heard in the newsroom the following month.
“He’s bringing in his team to take over the newspaper, we may lose our jobs. Be prepared,” someone whispered.
Being among the younger group of journalists serving under NSTP we had not heard much about him apart from the tales the seniors told us.
In came Tony and his team.
We didn’t start off on a good footing, as my colleague, Twentytwo13 executive editor Graig Nunis, will attest.
“My first meeting with Tony was a disaster. We got into an argument during a sports desk meeting,” said Graig, who was then 35.
“From then on, we had an uneasy relationship. But I worked with (then editor-at-large) Frankie D’Cruz and (production editor) Bill Tegjeu who were part of the team that returned to give The Grand Old Lady a new lease of life.”
Graig added: “It seemed like nothing the sports desk did was good enough for Tony. Perhaps this is why many would say Tony was a perfectionist.
“I didn’t witness Tony’s greatness during the short time we worked together but given how Frankie and Bill spoke about him, it was obvious he knew his stuff.”
Despite their differences, Tony saw something in Graig and offered the latter the position of sports editor in mid-2008.
But Graig politely turned it down despite being offered the position repeatedly.
“Thank you for believing in my ability, Tony,” added Graig.
Like Graig, my relationship with Tony did not start well.
With news of colleagues being dropped from the list of “Malay Mail Baru” and with a slew of resignations in the newsroom, it was difficult to stay objective when colleagues from other publications asked: “How’s your new boss?”
However, he strove to take The Malay Mail back to its roots – the people and the community – introducing many new sections in the paper.
Passionate about community stories, he would sometimes turn up for assignments that I was also attending.
He wouldn’t be there covering the assignment, but he’d be standing in the crowd, listening to every word being uttered.
As a journalist, it was nerve-wracking having your editor-in-chief in the same room with you.
As I wrote my reports, I would constantly remind myself to not leave anything out as Tony was at the same function and I could not afford to leave out important details.
During his time in office, I also took on desk duties acting as officer-in-charge (OC) when my news editor was away. I also sat in the daily editorial meetings.
I was 26.
Once the meetings were over, I worked on the next day’s pagination (for the news section) with Tony.
It was not easy. I had to know every single fact in a story as he would ask if a particular story would make a good page lead.
Tony’s room was cold. Like the rooms of any editor, there were newspapers stacked up on the table and in the cupboards.
But there was warmth in the way he spoke. He educated me as I learnt the ropes of what it took to put a paper together. He was a mentor.
The one thing that stood out in his room was a framed-up gigantic poster of Cristiano Ronaldo.
I could not really understand Tony’s fascination with the then 24-year-old Manchester United player, but I suppose that’s Tony for you – always having faith in the young.
Under Tony’s editorship, I landed my first column in the paper – Voice of the Valley – a column I wrote for close to a decade.
Just like Graig, I suppose Tony also saw something in me.
He even offered me the position of chief reporter but I politely declined.
Tony’s editorship came to a halt in 2009, following a change of ownership in the newspaper.
I met him during a Malay Mail gathering in 2018 and we spoke over the phone on several occasions.
He also kept in touch with Haresh Deol, who is Twentytwo13 editor as the duo met several times, including at the 6th Sports Flame – an annual gathering of former national athletes and past journalists – in 2018.
Haresh too was part of The Malay Mail and was a sports journalist during Tony’s days as editor-in-chief.
In August this year, Tony told Haresh that he was under the weather.
He was happy to note that we were still active in journalism. Tony also apologised for having lost touch with us and expressed hope that we would all meet up when he was better.
But our meeting was not meant to be.
Tony breathed his last at 8.15am yesterday after a long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
He leaves behind wife and fellow journalist Chan Cheng Tuan, daughter Kylie and son Mark.
Throughout his 50 years in journalism, Tony, 73, held a number of posts, including sports editor of the News Straits Times (NST) and Malay Mail and later chief news editor of the NST.
He was inducted into the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s Hall of Fame in 2015 for his contribution to sports through journalism.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah also expressed their condolences over Tony’s passing.
Tony saw the potential in us, regardless of age. He brought out the best in us in his own way.
To Tony, thank you for believing in us and our abilities.
You will be sorely missed.
Editor’s note: Tony’s wake will be at Assumption Church Petaling Jaya today (Dec 22) from 10am to 9pm. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, 10am at the MBPJ Crematorium in Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
