Dubai: Imagine life before Google Maps and GPS in the UAE, and go way way further in 1978 when there were hardly any road signs, street names nor numbers.
Picture newspaper delivery in villas and apartments in the emirates, men on a bicycle deciphering addresses that go something like this: a house behind a shop with a palm tree to the right.
This was Neasa Lawless’ first work experience in the UAE. The Irish expatriate worked as Gulf News’ first subscriptions clerk as one of UAE’s English newspapers went to press in September 1978.
Four decades later as Gulf News celebrates its 40th founding anniversary, Lawless fondly shared her memories back when the paper was yet to take off.
“I was only a lowly subscriptions clerk. So I used to liaise with all the delivery men and they would cycle out to deliver and you would get very irate people on the telephone saying we never got our paper and you’ll have to try and say, “Well, exactly where do you live?” Lawless told Gulf News with a smile.
“There were no numbers on the roads and no names. So they would say, “I live in the house with bougainvillea or there’s a dust bin outside and then you’d have to tell the delivery guys. They were all in different languages. Those were interesting times.”
Relocation
Lawless relocated to the UAE with her husband, Gerald, when he took up a position with the then Dubai International Hotel in August 1978 and would later become a key player in the transformation of Dubai’s tourism industry and former CEO of Jumeirah.
A qualified lawyer, Lawless found herself restless having nothing to do at home that time. A friend connected her with Gulf News that was then launching a month later in a tabloid format to quench the thirst for news of a growing expatriate community.
“There were a lot of expats even then in 1978. There was a huge construction boom at that time. The Jebel Ali Free Port was built and the Trade Centre was under construction and at that time was the tallest building in the Middle East. There was a demand for English language world news and that’s how I suppose it grew from small beginnings.”
“Men used to stand at traffic lights selling newspapers. Back then there was no internet, no other sources of news except newspaper and limited television.”
Lawless’ stint with the newspaper was a brief one at three months before joining two law firms and eventually settling in as a full-time mother to her three children. But she remained a loyal Gulf News reader.
She said her household has enjoyed reading Gulf News in paper form over the last decades as it chronicled the development of the country and its people.
Preserving the past
Ten years ago, she decided to pursue a graduate degree in archiving and then established a freelance archivist advising company, encouraging entities in the UAE to preserve their past.
“The trouble is, Dubai is growing so fast and things are changing so fast and people don’t even remember that this building was there and that building was there. For so many corporations their corporate memory disappears out the door when the CEO moves on and nobody knows what had gone on before whereas it’s very useful for staff training and passing on information to subsequent people who are working in the company.”
“I’m hoping companies here would do look after their records and tell the story of their development whether they’re local or expat. I hope they would keep their records, catalogue them and make them available internally or externally.”
Now retired, Lawless said she and her husband are honoured to have witnessed Dubai’s history unfold and achieve success. The couple hopes to stay in Dubai a few more years before retiring in their hometown in Ireland.
As for regrets, the only one they have is failing to learn Arabic. Other than that, Lawless said they’re too blessed to have missed out on anything.
“The UAE has always been welcoming to all nationalities from all over the world. And if you choose to come here and you find a job, you can live here and make a good life for yourself, in most cases. I know it’s not easy for some people as well. We are very privileged to have lived here during this time.”
