A journalist with a reputation as a mentor for young reporters has died, aged 83.

Frank Keeler was the former chief reporter at the Eastern Daily Press King's Lynn office.

He began his career on the Yarmouth Mercury in 1934 before transferring to the Yarmouth Independent as a junior reporter and was a writer at Eastern Counties Newspapers for 45 years, 35 as chief reporter at the Lynn office, before his retirement in 1980.

He joined the Army in 1939 and returned to the Mercury in 1946 before moving to the EDP in Norwich in 1949.

He is best remembered for his work at Lynn, where he moved in 1950, to become mentor for scores of trainees.

One of them was Day of the Jackal author Frederick Forsyth, who said at Frank's retirement: "I owe him my greatest debt.

"He had enormous patience and kindness. With him there was no such thing as almost right. Things were either right or wrong. If I had not had that training I would not have been able to write the books I have."

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail pastill@nep.co.uk