Farewell, Keith

BROADCASTER, author, actor, raconteur and loveable rogue Keith Richardson died in Wanganui Hospital on Saturday following a heart attack.
Mr Richardson, 72, became a household name in the 1960s as an eloquent state broadcaster.
His radio shows were not confined to these shores, many finding their way overseas, and some being played on American Armed Forces Radio to United States troops stationed all over the world.
The NZ Hit Parade and NZ Top 20 were two of Mr Richardson's landmark shows.
Mr Richardson, affectionately known as "Fossil", mingled with celebrities and eventually became one himself, appearing on records and releasing singles under a variety of pseudonyms.
The veteran broadcaster will be remembered by many New Zealanders for his coverage of the Mt Erebus disaster on November 28, 1979.
Mr Richardson was working a part-time shift on commercial radio, and despite normally being a controlled and measured broadcaster, he said that night was the most difficult and traumatic thing he had ever faced in his career.
"I remember my chest tightening. I felt I was choking, but ... I had to keep reading, and I did but I never knew how ... it was the hardest thing I ever faced without exception - ever."
Over the years, Mr Richardson also collected treasures from the history of New Zealand broadcasting.
A long-time Wanganui resident, Mr Richardson gave his huge collection to the Radio Heritage Foundation, to be preserved as the Keith Richardson Collection.
"I've kept everything," he once told Wanganui Midweek's Paul Brooks.
"I've never thrown anything away, ever."
It was not only in broadcasting that Mr Richardson made his mark. He was also a writer.
At the time of publication of one of his works, Never A Dull Moment - My Life in Broadcasting and other Diversions, Mr Richardson said he was laying out a no-holds barred, colourful career in front of the reader.
He also recalled one anecdote from his time behind the microphone.
"The night I was reading commercial network news on 2ZB and a listener sent in a carton of beer for the boys. Well, foolishly, but as you might expect, we imbibed. None of us thought anything about it until it was my turn to read the 11pm news nationwide.
"I did very well until I got to the story about the MOT introducing breath testing. Then I completely lost the plot, the speech, the words, everything. The next thing I recall was Dick Weir, my boss, on the phone to the effect of 'You're fired'."
In December 2009, Mr Richardson was surprised to find people ringing and congratulating him on his Queen's Birthday honour - because he had never received such an award.
However, Mr Richardson's name appeared on the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours' List as having been made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to broadcasting, journalism and the community.
The incorrect inclusion of his name resulted from an error with the Honours Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, with the mistake later being described by a spokesperson as "deeply regretted". At the time, Mr Richardson laughed off the bungle in typical fashion.
"Well, it would have been nice to have been made a dame."
A letter from the Director of the Honours Secretariat later apologised for the error, and Mr Richardson said he hoped the same mistake never happened to anyone else.
Mr Richardson is survived by a son and daughter. His funeral details are yet to be announced.