ONE of the region's most respected lecturers, who has won national acclaim for his work in media law, has retired.

Robin Crowther, 65, was media law tutor at Darlington College, where he helped train hundreds of journalists from across the world.

In a career which spanned 47 years, Mr Crowther has also worked as a journalist on newspapers in South Africa and at several leading North-East titles.

"It has been a long time, but a very happy time, a real joy," said Mr Crowther, who lives in Darlington. "I have many fond memories and have worked with some fabulous people."

Mr Crowther began his career in 1959, as an office boy at the Newcastle Evening Chronicle before becoming a reporter. He then worked for the Sunday Sun and The Northern Echo, before moving to South Africa in 1967.

During his 11 years there, he edited The Leader, a weekly newspaper, and was a reporter for the Daily News where he headed a readers' complaints section called Action Line.

It scored victories against the apartheid system, including changing the classification of a man from "Zulu" to "coloured" so he was allowed to live with his "coloured" wife.

He and his wife, Barbara, returned to England with their four sons in 1978, and Mr Crowther took up a sub-editing post with The Northern Echo.

Mr Crowther began teaching part-time at Darlington College's journalism school in 1980 to make ends meet during a strike at The Northern Echo.

He then took up lecturing full time because of "much more money and 14 weeks-a-year holiday".

After 26 years at the college, Mr Crowther is looking forward to spending more time with his family, including four grandchildren.