Midlands-born journalist shares his memories of Nelson Mandela

Lights went out across Africa when the news filtered through the night. People preferred the dark to the reality that he was gone, says Chris Bishop.

Those of us who knew him, had a light in our eyes to leaven the gloom.

Everyone has a warm memory. Even the late Arthur Chaskelson, the lawyer at Mandela's trial who used to be introduced thus: 'Here is my lawyer, he managed to secure me 27 years in prison.' I always tell people I was honoured that he knew my name, not bad for a Stourbridge fan from Hartlebury, near Kidderminster.

Despite the thousands of people he met every week, Mandela always remembered names, faces and the families behind them. 'Ah, Mr Bishop how are you?' he used to say when I asked a question at press conferences.

Once, I asked him for an interview the day after I had injured my leg playing football. We walked together and the old man noticed the young man was walking even more slowly than he. 'What is wrong with your leg?', he asked.

I told him of my mishap with someone's right boot. 'Then, may I suggest, you take up boxing.'

Mandela even smiled with me when I asked him the personal question over whether he was going to marry Graca Machel. It was a tricky one as Machel was the widow of a fellow liberation comrade president from Mozambique.

'The problem with these young ladies is they won't marry an old man like me,' he smiled back.

A week later Mandela owned up, saying he was to marry Machel.

Mandela had his own way of saying anything and getting away with it. Once we were in Blantyre, Malawi at a conference when Mandela, as chairman, had to announce the death of Zaire's Mobutu Sese Seko – a president who had an appalling human rights record.

'Always sad to see a comrade pass, even one who has given so many people so many problems,' said Mandela with a little laugh.

Any other leader would have been hammered for uttering as such, but this was Mandela, Madiba, the old man who was always right.

Thank you for every kindness and every joke.