ONE of Devon’s longest working journalists has finally given up the reporting game and binned his pencil sharpener.

John Balment scribbled away for more than half-a-century, much of it for the Mid-Devon Advertiser, whose staff showed their appreciation of his towering achievements by deluging him with gifts on his final day last week… just after the deadline.

The veteran newshound, a modest fellow of few words despite writing millions of them, tore himself away from his keyboard long enough to thank colleagues for their generosity before racing off to enjoy his retirement.

John – JB to his colleagues – who will be 70 later this year, said he would miss the camaraderie of the office and the links with so many diverse contacts who had become friends over the years.

Editorial manager Ruth Davey, unloading a bevy of gifts on the embarrassed recipient, said: ‘It’s been a pleasure to be in John’s orbit and see how a seasoned practitioner works. He has been a joy to work with, a sentiment I know everyone who has been lucky to know him will share.

‘We wish him a long and happy retirement which is so justly deserved. Well done John! You’re a lovely bloke!’

Among gifts bestowed on the blushing Balment was the traditional front page mock-up with salacious accounts of the subject’s nefarious doings over the years.

One of the more printable stories from his rich and varied life covering the local scene involved nervously interviewing the widow of a local character at her home... with the deceased gentleman lying just a few feet away in the same room.

Mid-Devon Advertiser managing director Sandra Perraton said: ‘To many people in Newton Abbot and the surrounding towns John has been the face of the paper.

‘His professionalism, his local knowledge and the network of contacts he built up over many years were extremely useful in getting the stories that mattered into the paper.

‘As a friend and colleague I can say we’ll miss his presence in the newsroom.’