Ronald Farquhar

As a conscientious, enterprising and hard-working correspondent Ronnie Farquhar became a professional role model par excellence for a generation of Reuter journalists. Barbara and I first met Ronnie and Vera in 1965 when they welcomed us on arrival for our posting to Geneva. (As telegraphist in the Bonn wire room, Barbara used to tape-relay RF dispatches from Eastern Europe to London.)

Ronnie, who had a dry sense of humour, was usually first in the office and last to go home, often only after being summoned by Vera. His meticulous attention to detail, helped by his mastery of shorthand, was proverbial, his reliable, skilful and fast reporting of breaking stories most impressive.

An example: When at the 1972 Olympics in Munich police announced that captured Israeli hostages were safe, Bonn staffers left the office for a midnight dinner, but his prudent instinct kept Ronnie (news editor) behind. Thus he became instrumental in covering the subsequent killing of the hostages. ■