Published: Friday, 6th February, 2009 12:09pm

Our first editor

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WHEN Roy Bustin became the first editor of the Bracknell News at the age of 29 he was embarking on a completely new adventure.

Bracknell was also in the throes of rapid change with the new town starting to sprout up in the shape of new estates, roads and schools.

It soon became clear that the town's spiralling population needed a dedicated newspaper to satisfy its increasing thirst for news. Cue Mr Bustin and News founder Bert Melhuish.

Mr Bustin brought with him editorial guile and a rich pool of contacts which, combined with the business acumen of Mr Melhuish, helped the rookie paper establish itself quickly.

Mr Bustin, 79, said: "Although Bert was a great guy he had no understanding of running a newspaper but I had a great respect for him, particularly for his wartime record. He was a fantastic person to work with."

Mr Bustin, of All Saints' Close, Wokingham, got a job as a trainee reporter at the age of 16 on the Reading Mercury.

Following his National Service, which included a stint in Germany from 1947-1949, he returned as the Bracknell district reporter on the Berkshire Chronicle - now the News' sister paper the Reading Chronicle - which gave him an invaluable knowledge of the patch.

Owners the Reading Newspaper Company approached Mr Melhuish to see if a newspaper dedicated to Bracknell could be started and he thought it was a great idea.

At the age of 29 Mr Bustin was made editor.

He said: "I was in quite a unique position because when I started as I went straight from being a reporter to becoming editor.

"It was a very proud day when the first edition came out on February 5, 1959."

It did not take long for the News to bat off competition from a rival paper and the News quickly started to establish itself as the town's leading newspaper.

Mr Bustin left the Bracknell News in 1980 as he found he could not work with new owners Argus Press.

He had a total change of career and went to work in the caring industry, first at the now defunct Church Hill House in Bracknell then later for Wokingham District Council. He has good memories of his newspaper career and this week recalled: "I spent over 30 years in journalism, doing what I wanted to do."