Reporter who covered Elvis Presley trip dies

TRIBUTES are being paid to the former Ayr Advertiser journalist who reported on Elvis Presley’s Prestwick touchdown.

Newsman Charlie Bingham, 82, sadly passed away on April 4.
He joined the Advertiser in 1955 and reported on a host of exciting stories, including Elvis’ only visit to Britain in 1960, after working briefly at the Prestwick News.
The pensioner had been a firm favourite of many readers during his days at the paper with his first story the Remembrance Service for the Battle of Britain.
Speaking exclusively to us, daughter Shirley Graham, 58, said: “Did dad enjoy being a reporter? - he lived and breathed journalism. He worked every hour he could and even walked the streets looking for stories.
“Dad felt a strong affinity with Scotland maybe the fact he reported on so many Burns Suppers, he probably knew more about Robert Burns than we did.
“When dad left, his Advertiser colleagues sang `Bonnie Charlie’s no awa will ye no come back again`.”
Charlie also filmed for TV news including the Glasgow Fair Fortnight. However he was big family man, devoted to his wife Betty and their five children Paul, Shirley, Linda, Barry and Colin.
Shirley added: “When he was filming fair fortnight we were on the beach playing, for yachting races we were on the seafront wall and we were the ones sitting quiet while he sat at home on the phone relating his stories to the daily papers. He enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life and situations.”
If he wasn’t busy enough, he also worked as a freelance journalist and photographer for the Daily Mail and Express.
Former Advertiser colleague and friend Bob Blane added: “Charlie was a first class reporter, very quick on the uptake and he had this great ability with his hands which he had used in his Royal Navy days as a Morse Code signaller. When he left the Advertiser we recognised this by buying him a set of bongo drums as he was always drumming his fingers.
“He was very much a family man and he and I had kids and there was one particular occasion the paper had a family outing and 13 of us all got into a car to Ballantrae. Charlie brightened up the whole day for everyone.”
His wife Betty sadly passed away eight years ago and he leaves behind his five children, 11 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.