AddThis SmartLayers

Chief reporter retires after 57 years at same paper

A long-standing chief reporter will finally hang up his notepad at the age of 73 after spending more than 57 years with the same weekly paper.

Denis Robinson joined the Hucknall Dispatch as a reporter after leaving school following a short period at the now defunct Nottingham Evening News.

He has remained at the title ever since, becoming its chief reporter around 30 years ago, but will leave at the end of this week to begin his retirement.

Denis’ involvement with the paper will continue with a regular column written on any subject he chooses.

He said: “I haven’t really taken it in yet. After such a long time, it is going to hit me at some stage but it hasn’t yet.

“I have always enjoyed working in this community and made lots of friends. It is not easy to pick out any highlights.

“I like the community here. It is a friendly community and Hucknall is very much a place in its own right rather than being part of a city. It has a lot of community spirit.”

Dispatch editor Richard Silverwood said he had worked alongside Denis for 33 of his 57 years there and his departure marked the end of an era at the paper.

He said: “He is an inspirational journalist whose dedication and devotion to duty are second to none.

“He is also highly respected and much admired in the local community. This speaks volumes about the impact he has made in his job and the affection with which he is held by the general public.

“Denis’ departure marks the end of an era in the 107-year history of the Dispatch. He will be sorely missed but deserves a long and happy retirement.”

Denis has had to adapt to many technological changes over the years, including making the switch to using a word processor instead of a typewriter in 1986.

And he has managed to carry out the job successfully without driving – walking around 10 miles a week to cover stories and also using public transport.

Said Denis: “Working it out over the years of my job, I must have walked almost around the world.”

He has no particular plans for his retirement but aims to increase his involvement with local community groups.

One comment

You can follow all replies to this entry through the comments feed.
  • January 17, 2011 at 9:58 am
    Permalink

    local reporter who does his leg work, knows his patch and BRINGS IN stories instead of waiting for someone to dish him out a story from newsdesk. Absolute gold. PS- On yes, he was allowed out of the office instead of being chained to a desk filling pre-prepared text boxes!!

    Report this comment

    Like this comment(0)