Thank you Tony

A text message left on my phone. "Sad news about Tony Fish. I'm stunned" It could only mean one thing - the guy that had helped me into broadcasting had died. I rang the friend who'd left the message, Sue Owen. .... a heart attack at home.

Tony was two years younger than me and although we first met up in our thirties in York our paths had crossed before. We think we were both at the BBC Engineering Training Department at Wood Norton Hall near Evesham at the same time in 1967. He trained as a Tech Op and I was there on a Technical Assistant's course.

Tony was loud, brash, outrageous and made great radio. He made us all laugh. No one who worked with him will forget his prospects meetings when he was the Programme Organiser of BBC Radio York. "Quakes" was the time to talk about whatever was moving you at the time - passion, anger, frustration, ideas, suggestions were all welcome. It's root was the term that applied to the Quakers who spoke as they were moved by the spirit.

Not that Tony was religious - but he was willing to talk about religion given the right mood. I shall never forget the note he sent to a presenter who played an inappropriate disc in the Sunday Breakfast Show. The song was Summer The First Time by Bobby Goldsboro. The note wasn't written with religious restraint - but graphically described why a song about a young man's first encounter with a woman was inappropriate for a religious programme. The note was often read out at BBC Radio York anniversaries and reunions.

Tony went on to be the Editor of BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Radio Shropshire before taking early retirement in 2002. He was a real encouragement and mentor to younger editors. He will be missed.