Tribute to former West Sussex Gazette Editor Paul Gelder

I was striding through Chichester just a year ago, when I was aware of a voice calling my name.
Paul Gelder. Photo: PPL Photo AgencyPaul Gelder. Photo: PPL Photo Agency
Paul Gelder. Photo: PPL Photo Agency

It was Paul Gelder - a man I had not seen for the best part of 30 years - but I instantly recognized him and that irrepressible twinkle in his eye.

He had been the proud Editor of the West Sussex Gazette in the late 1980s while I was editing the then sister title the Petersfield Post.

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When Paul chose to hand over the reigns in 1990 I attempted to follow in his giant footsteps.

After all, leading the West Sussex Gazette - the oldest and most prestigious county title - was a huge responsibility.

We chatted in South Street for a good half an hour before arranging to meet for lunch with another former colleague, the distinguished previous Editor of the Chichester Observer Series Graham Brooks.

Paul was a man of great humour and gentle determination - who rightly always strove for journalistic perfection.

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Way ahead of his time, he used the WSG to campaign on environmental issues with a foresight and perceptiveness that puts the rest of the industry to shame.

Over that lunch, we reminisced as all journalists do, about former colleagues and the great changes in our industry.

For Paul was not merely a supreme writer and editor but someone who always got his priorities right - professionally and personally.

When Graham Brooks heard the sad news of his death on February 13, he wrote to me.

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Graham had not merely edited the Observer for a magnificent 31 years he had also been editor-in-chief of Portsmouth and Sunderland’s weekly papers in the South, including the West Sussex Gazette.

He wrote to say that Paul was an exceptional all-round journalist.

“He was an excellent chief sub-editor of the Observer for 18 months from 1984 and I was delighted to appoint him as Editor of the West Sussex Gazette in June 1986.

“He was always meticulous in what he did and totally reliable. During his years in charge of the West Sussex Gazette he edited the paper with skill, integrity and ability, and his commitment to his readers could not be faulted.”

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Another colleague, Steve Payne, who is now Digital Editor of the WSG and all its sister Sussex titles, said: “The main memory I have of Paul is that he was a very professional journalist who always seemed calm even under pressure.

“He was dedicated to getting the best possible paper out each week and had a great rapport with his colleagues and the readers. My thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Our thoughts are all with Paul’s family today.

How proud I know they will be of this giant of an editor and journalist and loving family man.

And how pleased I am that he spotted me in Chichester and we shared that singular lunch full of laughter and happy journalistic memories.