Jarryd Hayne and Peter Costello brought back my PTSD as a photographer

When people find out I’m a news photographer,they say it must be an interesting job. And it sure is,but “interesting” is an adjective whose meaning varies greatly.

The day I turned up at Newcastle District Court in May 2021 for Jarryd Hayne’s sentencing was way too “interesting”. Accustomed to scrums,the NRL star — surrounded by a posse of supporters after being found guilty of sexual assault — was arriving to hear how long he would spend in a more formal sin bin. On behalf of Getty Images,it was my job to document his arrival and departure,along with that of his family members.

Things were tense,but you get used to that. It’s never been a normal workday,not in 20-something years across national publications in both staff and freelance roles covering the spectrum of news – politicians,celebrities,criminals,international disasters ...

Generally covering news,you often arrive to snap someone on one of their worst days. Sometimes,it’s their best but more often,it’s their worst. It’s a game of cat and mouse – you can sense their trepidation,their fear,their anxiety. You’re attuned to it because you feel it yourself. The closer they come,I quickly vary focal length,compose and fire. If things are too tense,I will sometimes apologise. “Sorry,mate.” Just to de-escalate things. Often,I’ll empathise with the subject,but I’ve got to get my picture.

I turn up to every job doing my best to respect my subject and my employer. Like all photographers,I’m aware there’s little public sympathy for the media;aware that sometimes paparazzi push too far. But sometimes the tables turn. Last week’sbrain-fade by now former Nine chairman Peter Costello at Canberra Airport was something I’ve witnessed many times.

I’ve had many “interesting” encounters,including a bikie blowing me a kiss from the back of a police car while simultaneously giving me a handcuffed finger;a prime minister mopping my brow during a particularly heated press conference;a chit-chat with a NSW policeman,appearing at the Independent Commission Against Corruption,who asked me not to snap him with the ciggie in his mouth so his wife didn’t kill him ...

Oh,and there was also the time that Bruce Wilson – former trade union official and ex-partner of Julia Gillard –attacked me on a street outside the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption.

But the Jarryd Hayne tackle trumps them all.

After being sentenced,Hayne was taken into custody while his family left the courtroom,surrounded by supporters who’d formed a barricade around them. They knew I needed a photo and were determined I didn’t succeed. I picked a position and made myself small so the crowd had to step around me. It had rained that morning,so the umbrellas they were carrying were not unexpected. What was a surprise was when they were suddenly used as weapons.

I was physically assaulted by between four and five men,put in a headlock and pulled backwards,hit on the back of the head with a closed fist and pushed onto the bonnet of a car. Sheriffs broke up the melee and the NSW police minister at the time condemned the attack.

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Most of my colleagues have similar incidents under their belts. To some,it’s seen as a rite of photographic passage,to others an unacceptable part of the job. I have for years vacillated between both sides.

But on the dayHayne’s conviction is overturned,the event is front-of-mind,as it is from time to time.

Yet,there is little sympathy for a photojournalist with PTSD. I suppose people think it’s all part of an “interesting” day’s work.

Sam Mooy isThe Sydney Morning Herald’s weekend photo editor.

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