WHEN John Fraser turned up to his first day as an apprentice at the South Hams Newspapers, formely know as J R Gill and Son, in 1964, he could never have imagined he would still be working there 50 years later... Exactly half a century on, John retired from his position as production manager last week. John was born in East Prawle in 1949 and moved to Kingsbridge six months later where he has lived ever since. Growing up, John wanted to become a policeman but unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be. John explained: 'Back in those days you had to be at least six feet tall to become an officer and I was only five foot nine standing on my tip toes, so that was the end of that!' After leaving school at 15, John's neighbour, Roy Richards, the then manager of the newspapers, suggested to him that he should 'come have a tour and look around the office.' This informal invitation led John to start his six-year apprenticeship as a linotype operator, earning £4 a week. In 1964, the newspaper was printed using 'hot metal and ink' and it was a physical and time-consuming job. John said: 'On a weekly basis, ladies would come to the premises on Fore Street and help fold each printed page, it really was a hand-made affair.' 'I can't think of any industry that has undergone such drastic changes in such a short amount of time.' John explained that with each change in printing methods, new machines, skills and eventually software, had to be learnt. Print workers went from wearing dust coats and having ink-stained hands, to being able to make up full pages on the computer and send them at 'a press of a button' to be printed hundreds of miles away and have them rolling off the press 10 minutes later. When asked why he chose to work for South Hams Newspaper for the majority of his life it became apparent that it was because of his love for the South Hams, rather than the hustle and bustle of city life. 'We do live in an exceptionally nice area and, although the newspaper may receive criticisms from time to time, if we didn't have the paper, we wouldn't have that great community spirit and bond that makes the South Hams such a special place to live.' John met his wife Linda, who spent her childhood in Africa, at a dance in Torbay in 1971 and they married in 1973. They went on to have two children, Paul and Kerrie. Paul now lives in South Wales and is a dentist. Kerrie is married and is a physiotherapist who lives in Ottery St Mary and has two grandchildren, Ava and George. They all enjoyed the beauty of the South Hams on family bike rides together and John said that Kingsbridge was the ideal place to raise them. John and Linda are keen travellers and now that he is retired he hopes to do more of it in future, along with fishing, golfing, oil painting and spending more time with his two grandchildren. John concluded: 'Over the years, I've been fortunate to meet and work alongside some exceptional people and without the support and hard-work of the production team, it would have been a much more difficult job.' In addition, John's retirement party at the Crabshell Inn, Kingsbridge, raised over a thousand pounds for the Devon Air Ambulance trust, in just three hours. John didn't want a retirement party, but after being pestered by friends, neighbours and colleagues, he decided that if he were going to have one, he would use it to do some good. So John decided to use his party to raise money for the Devon Air Ambulance Trust. When asked why he chose the Air Ambulance, he said: 'I have met so many people who wouldn't be here to tell their story if the Air Ambulance hadn't been there. In such a rural area, we can't waste time getting people to hospital by road. It's a vital service.' Going to local businesses in the area to try and get some raffle prizes, John said he was 'blown away by people's generosity'. He said: 'Local businesses donated some amazing things to the event. Some of the star prizes were: A night at a bed and breakfast, cream tea on arrival and use of all the spa and leisure facilities at the Thurlestone Hotel and a night for two and a spa treatment for two with lunch or afternoon tea from the Salcombe Harbour Hotel. John started off planning to get 50 prizes, one for every year he worked at the Gazette, and ended up with 101. He continued: 'Loads of local eateries donated meals for two with wine; hairdressers donated cuts and blow-dries; I was completely bowled over by the generosity. Steve Inch even offered me a couple of fresh crabs! 'Jane Williamson at the Crabshell was so supportive too, they donated all the pizzas and canapés for the evening and the brilliant band Ansaback, with colleague Greg Taylor and ex-colleague Amy McSweeny, gave their time to entertain everyone for free.' The final total was £1,091.61 raised on behalf of John by his friends and colleagues.