It's greener pastures for Countryman's Bob

From Kununurra to Condingup, Mumballup to Xantippe, there would not be a WA location or livestock breed that Bob Meagher doesn't know how to spell.

Countryman readers may not know his name, but as the paper's longest serving sub-editor, Bob retired last week.

For almost 23 years, he ensured a wealth of witty headlines, correct grammar and spelling.

Starting out as a journalist on the Daily News in 1965, where he stayed until it folded, he finally found his way to Countryman when it was located in the West Australian building in the Perth CBD.

Over the years, he has subbed all the big news stories for Countryman, including the Rural Action Movement's blockades, scrapping of the wool reserve price scheme, deregulation of the dairy and wheat industries and the live export ban to Indonesia.

Knowing little about agriculture when he started with Countryman, Bob said it was a matter of learning quickly - a Large White was a breed of pig, where those not in the know would commonly change the wording to a "big white". And then there was the ongoing problem of the places he had never heard of, let alone knew how to spell.

Bob has worked with many Countryman editors - Russell Raymond, John Dare, Gary McGay, Sally Cox, David Gorrie, Paul Mole and Lara Ladyman - and countless journalists, sales staff and production crew.

As the team at Countryman will attest, he has been the backbone of the paper.

His passion for the job at hand, as well as countless cups of tea and slices of cake, will go down in Countryman history.