Mary Grisdale of New Maldon worked at the Surrey Comet from October 1973, when she was 17, until May 1977, when she was 20.

She writes: I still have the letter asking me for an interview and that confirming my employment. During my time there I wrote a few poems for myself, à la Pam Ayres.

The staff I remember are: old Mr Drewett (I think) who had an office in a corner and used to pass through sometimes like Mr Grace from the TV series “Are You Being Served?”

My manager was Mr Bragg, and the older women in the office were Miss Spring, Eileen, Sheila and Sylvia. Maureen married Tom, who worked at the Comet, and Rosemary, whose mother Mrs Farley worked in accounts, also married a man in the print. The tea lady was, I think, known as Auntie Mabel, and we collected the tea from her kitchen down the corridor by the telephonist room.

We had small lead paperweights made from metal left over from printing. I still like the smell of printing ink and visit exhibitions of printing and museums, though at the time I was a bit shy of the men in “the works”, as I gather they would whistle the theme from Laurel and Hardy whenever a woman was there.

I have looked back in my old diaries and, though most only mention how well I felt, the weather and what I watched on television, the following might be of interest:

March 1, 1974
“Election results. Whole office listening to radio today”. I do not seem to have put in who actually won!

May 9, 1975
“Works banning overtime so the paper is smaller this week.”

July 26, 1976
“Had a mini bomb-scare today. But it turned out be the Comet Travel’s doorstop, made of a brick in a paper bag!

Feb 4, 1977
“Accident outside our office. Someone ran into a girl and knocked her through our stationery window, which broke. All felt shaken (the noise sounded like a bomb or something).”

I think we had to call the fire brigade and ambulance, a lot which is why I wrote my poem “Comments on the Comet!”

A newspaper is very good
When selling fish and chips
It also comes in handy
When wrapping up the bits
Of tins and cans and bottles
Of food scraps and of bones
In fact a newspaper is a boon
In many people's homes

A newspaper, when folded up
Can help to swot a fly
And keep the home fires burning
When coal you cannot buy
It stabilises table legs
Stops floorboards from creaking
And wrapped around the shopping
Stops frozen food from leaking!

A newspaper – in fact
Has millions of ways
To save on time and money
In these hard and gloomy days
And – if after working
Of time you’ve got a wee bit
You can always settle in a chair
With a newspaper – and read it!

If ever you visit the Comet
The department that’s for advertising
It won’t take you long
To find goings on
That in an office so small are surprising!

Each week there’s a brand new disaster
Divorce, marriage, death or a birth
Things to cause sadness
Joy or just madness
Cries of anger, or pain, or of mirth!

Last week someone fell through a window
Last night someone smashed up their car
For news and reports
New jokes and retorts
The editor need not go far!

So if when you’re reading our paper
A name strikes a bell or a chord
It’s us don'’t you know
Making quite a show
Cos we don’t like ourselves to get bored!

The Surrey Comet printers
They are a lazy bunch!
Their tea break lasts from nine til twelve
And then it’s time for lunch!
At two o’clock they start again
And work ‘til ten to three
When a call goes up for work to stop
Because it’s time for tea!
They resume work at half past four
Which irks them – don’t you know?
But they’re only cross for half an hour
‘Cos then it’s time to go!