FOND tributes have been paid to a longstanding former Advertizer journalist.

Colleagues have shared their memories of Betty Duncan, a reporter and deputy editor of the paper for many years, who died recently in her 90s.

Former Advertizer editor Sam Evans told how he appointed Mrs Duncan as his deputy around 50 years ago.

Mr Evans said that his former colleague and her late husband Graham were great travellers in the days before package holidays became common.

He said: “She and Graham would go off exploring places like Croatia and the Balkans on very adventurous holidays.”

Mr Evans added that his former deputy editor was a good reporter with accomplished shorthand skills of 140 words per minute.

He said: “She was a knowledgeable and lovely person to work with, a very loyal staff member and a hardworking reporter.”

Stuart Laurie, sports editor at the Advertizer in the 1980s, said: “It was a privilege to work with Betty on the Advertizer. She was talented and knowledgeable and was incredibly helpful to new recruits like me.

“She was one of the most hard-working journalists I’ve ever known and could always be relied upon to come up with that elusive lead story.”

Kerry Roberts, chief photographer for Newsquest’s coastal titles, told how Mrs Duncan signed his papers when he joined the Advertizer in 1982.

He added how he remembered her “banging away on her big Imperial typewriter” in the office.

He said: “She was a character, she was very popular; just a nice woman who helped the youngsters when they started.

“She was always very proud of working on the Advertizer.”

Peter Danby, who joined the paper’s editorial staff in the mid 80s, said that Mrs Duncan was “great fun”.

He added: “She was very nice, quiet but very authoritative. If somebody queried her notes or something like that, she would say ‘Memories may fade but a good shorthand note goes on forever’.”

“She was lovely to work with. She liked going out and talking to people.”

Mrs Duncan lived in Oswestry and later Whittington before moving to Spain with her husband.

Oswestry resident Colin Perkins, who had known Mr and Mrs Duncan since the early 1950s, remembered her as “assured and very capable”.

Mrs Duncan is survived by her daughter, Libby, and two granddaughters, who also live in Spain.