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A newspaper “legend” who worked for nearly 40 years in the district office of a local daily newspaper has died at the age of 86.
Gerard Williams was Caernarfon reporter for the North Wales Daily Post for 38 years, previously working for the Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald and the Western Mail.
Known for his perfect Pitman shorthand, Gerard covered many famous Welsh trials and, as a fluent Welsh speaker, also reported from the National Eisteddfod, where he was later invested as a Bard.
Gerald, pictured below, passed away peacefully at his home on December 29th. Gerald described him as “a legend in every sense of the word.”
Derek Bellis, a veteran North Wales freelance reporter, said: “Gerald belonged to a vanishing class of reporters who could dictate court articles directly from their notebooks. It was because of his brilliant shorthand.
“He was the star of the Daily Post’s heyday.”
Former BBC reporter John Sean added: “He was a traditional man and was respected by many.
“I first met him on a winter day in 1968 during a robbery in Dolgellau Assides. I arrived late due to bad weather, but Gerald shared his notes with me. This was such a typical guy. We worked on many other stories over the years but could never match his perfect shorthand. Rest in peace Gerald, what a gentleman.”
Irwin Roberts, long-time photographer for the Caernarfon Herald and Daily Post, said: “Gerald was a traditional journalist and people came to him with stories because he was highly respected and trusted by the community.” I approached him.
“In all the time I knew him, I never saw him lose his temper. He was a nice, polite gentleman. He was liked by everyone he met.”
Cadiog Hughes, a former HTV Wales journalist who now runs public relations firm Cadiog Communications, said: He meticulously noted down the evidence verbatim and produced a series of stunning double-page spreads in the Daily Post.
“Above all, he was a wonderful person who will be greatly missed.”
Gerald was married to Rita for 62 years and had three children, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His son Gareth said: “My father used to cover all kinds of stories, including trials at Caernarfon Crown Court, mountain rescue stories, robberies, arson… and there were always long and long deadlines, even over Christmas. I had to work hard.” It took several days to get the article together by the next morning.
“He wrote about the topics and subjects of the time and told the facts as they were, without any exaggeration or speculation. He was a true professional in every way.
“Every August he would write about what happened at the Eisteddfod. He himself was a rather shy and humble man, but he himself was initiated into Gorsed-y-Beird as a druid. I was very proud of what I did.”
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