Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Schoolboy George Axtell is a model child … in more ways than one.
For he was plucked from his pushchair by a GulfWeekly photographer nine years ago to star on the front page of the first anniversary edition of this newspaper.
Under the headline ‘happy birthday baby!’ little George was pictured holding a copy of GulfWeekly and the front page is now framed and proudly placed on display in the entrance hall of his family home in Saar.
George is the son of David, a health and insurance consultant, and Sara. They also have a daughter, Charlotte, nine.
David said: “I can remember the exact day the photograph was taken – it was the day that England won the Rugby World Cup Final against Australia.
“I had been approached by a photographer called Chris whilst in church saying that he needed a model child for his assignment!”
David, currently chairman of the Bahrain Anglican Church Council, added that George thoroughly enjoyed the experience and smiled throughout the photo shoot. “Hopefully one day he will feature regularly on the back page of GulfWeekly highlighting his sporting achievements.”
That day may not be too long in coming. Talented George, now 11 and a Year 6 pupil at St Christopher’s School, is a talented midfielder whose school team won the British Schools in the Middle East Football Tournament in Dubai this year after a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory against Jebel Ali.
He is also a talented gymnast having secured seven silver medals in regional competitions, won the ‘best junior player’ in an international field hockey contest, took the Under-13 Nick Faldo Wee Monty Under-13 golfing challenge trophy and during the summer turned out for Bingham, a South Notts cricket team – the same English village cricket team his dad once played for.
His other sporting claim to fame is playing soccer with Michael Schumacher as the F1 legend enjoyed a kick-around during a Ferrari Test Day at the Bahrain International Circuit in February 2006.
In fact, it was George’s love of Formula One racing that inspired his dad to launch the Wheelathon cycle ride and bed trolley push around the BIC, which has grown into one of the most popular annual community events in the kingdom helping to raise thousands of dinars for good causes.
So, as GulfWeekly’s poster boy George grows from strength-to-strength, so does the newspaper which featured his photograph as a baby so many years ago.
The publication started as a GCC lifestyle and leisure guide and in recent years, under the guidance of Editor Stan Szecowka, has been transformed into a popular campaigning and entertaining weekly community newspaper.
