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Former journalist and councillor dies

A former journalist whose career spanned four decades has died.

Alastair Bisset, who worked in the north-east of Scotland, was 66 when he died at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after a suspected heart attack.

Derek Tucker, editor of the Aberdeen Press and Journal where Alastair worked for many years, said: “Alastair was one of that rare breed of old-fashioned journalists who brought in stories because he knew everyone and everyone knew him.

“He was a larger-than-life character and was very much a P&J man through and through.

“It’s incredibly sad that he should have passed away so prematurely.

“Our condolences go to his family. It’s so tragic.”

Alastair was educated in Elgin and Aberdeen and started his journalism career with the Ayrshire Post in 1959.

From there he joined the Aberdeen Journals and became district reporter for Fraserburgh and Peterhead.

He later returned to Aberdeen for a couple of years before taking the post of chief reporter for the Moray area at Elgin, in 1965, as well as writing a popular weekly column called The Bisset Beat.

He retired in 1999 and wrote a book about his career and also turned to local politics.

Alastair was elected to Moray Council as an independent councillor and later became deputy convenor.