A VETERAN journalist who helped keep the North-East up to date with the latest news for 60 years has died at the age of 84.

Retired reporter Dennis Robinson, of Sedgefield, County Durham, died, peacefully, in hospital on December 22 following a long illness.

For six decades, he was a regular contributor to The Northern Echo and its sister publications and was happiest when covering grassroots community news.

Born in Shildon in 1928, he dreamt of becoming a reporter from a young age.

His first job was as an office junior at the former Auckland Chronicle in Bishop Auckland, which he left to serve two years National Service with the Royal Air Force.

After leaving the forces, Mr Robinson became a trainee reporter for the Durham Advertiser series and went on to contribute to The Northern Echo, The Darlington and Stockton Times and many other publications.

Speaking in 2007, he said: “I went through a whole gamut of editorial jobs – local reporter, chief reporter, district news editor, I was travel and motoring correspondent and ended up deputy editor of the Durham Advertiser Series.”

Mr Robinson saw a lot of changes over the years, most notably the dawn of the computer age, which he fully embraced.

He also helped train young journalists and gave long-serving reporter Mike Amos his first taste of journalism.

“Dennis was covering the football matches in Shildon for the Northern Dispatch,” said Mr Amos. “This was in the 1960s - long before the days of mobile phones.

"There was no telephone on the ground and, when I was about 13, Dennis gave me a shilling to run to the nearest phone box 200 yards away and ring the results in.”

Mr Robinson left the group in 1985 and set up his own freelance journalism business – Dennis Robinson Press and PR: Sedgefield News Agency.

He continued as a freelance journalist until ill health forced him to retire in 2007.

Outside of work, Mr Robinson was a committed youth worker and helped set up the Black Bull Youth Club in Shildon. He was also involved in Scouting and the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

He leaves behind his devoted wife Barbara, 73, son Andrew, 38, grandchildren Anya, Francesca and Ellis, and many friends and relations.

“He will be greatly missed,” said Mrs Robinson. “He had a long and fruitful life and loved being a journalist.”

Mr Robinson's funeral takes place at St Edmund’s Church in Sedgefield at 2pm on Thursday, January 3, followed by cremation at Durham Crematorium.