THE passing of publishing legend Hugh Saddleton, renowned locally on the Coffs Coast as an independent publisher passionate for the people’s voice to be heard, has been honoured with a beautifully crafted tribute by Dr Grant Cairncross.

In requesting his permission to publish the obituary, Dr Cairncross told News Of The Area, “Hugh would have been honoured to have his passing published in News Of The Area.”

VALE Hugh Saddleton

By Grant CAIRNCROSS, former Editor, Coffs Coast Outlook.

Last week Coffs Harbour lost someone who tirelessly worked to shine an independent light on matters local, especially as they related to Council and matters of interest to citizens.

That person was Hugh Saddleton who passed away peacefully after a long battle with a debilitating illness over the past six years.

Hugh was born in England some 87 years ago and after going to sea in the merchant navy when he was still a teenager returned to his favourite port of call, Australia, in his early twenties with his life long partner Maureen.

It wasn’t long after arriving that he discovered Coffs Harbour and spent the rest of his life here raising a family and becoming involved in local media.

Hugh was involved in, or started, a number of local newspapers including the Coffs Observer and held a fiercely independent view that local politics needed to be held to account.

He never wavered in this regard and naturally ‘trod on more than a few toes’ as a result.

Even to the extent of having his journalistic ‘bona-fides’ queried at Council meetings.

Where he was then able to prove he was who he said he was.

In the early 2000’s Hugh set up the Coffs Harbour Outlook, a free online volunteer run news site after his previous print papers struggled with operating costs and the ongoing need for advertising revenue.

It was through the Coffs Harbour Outlook that I got to know Hugh well around 2010 after he asked me for help and advice on both the site itself and also in regards to a number of Council initiatives.

Very quickly Hugh became both a mentor and mate and when he started to slow down due to his fight with his illness I then took over the site as Editor which then morphed into the Coffs Coast Outlook and which ran until December 6 last year.

Hugh remained as Honorary Editor and his spirit was very much part of the site’s day to day presentation and story selection.

He stressed that the great beauty of the site was that because it was volunteer run and free of advertising it was beholden to no agenda or no particular people.

I believe, as a result, Hugh was instrumental in getting more citizens and ratepayers on the Coffs Coast to become interested, and involved in, local politics and broader local issues and stories too.

And, that I strongly believe, is a pretty important legacy that should be both remembered and honoured.

Vale Hugh.