Terry Heron joined the BBC in 1964 and 20 years later, after working on the Points West television news programme in Bristol, the subs room at Broadcasting House, TV News Intake at Alexandra Palace and the External Services newsroom at Bush House, he was appointed editor, External Services News (later World Service) in February 1984, He held that post until July 1987 when he took early retirement at the age of 57.

Terry began his career in 1948 when at the age of 18 he joined the Harmsworth group of West country morning and evening newspapers as a reporter. Three years later he moved to the South Wales Evening Argus as a reporter covering the Sirhowy Valley Coalfield. His memories of pit disasters and human suffering and deprivation remained with him for the rest of his life.

His next move was to the reporters’ room at the Western Mail in Cardiff, and the unaccustomed luxury of a shift system. He found he had time off to indulge his favourite hobby, playing the trumpet, and on evenings off he would sometimes wander down to a nightclub just off Bute Street. A quite promising young Welsh girl occasionally sang there. Her name was Shirley Bassey.

The most significant part of his pre-BBC career was spent in East Africa. He left Cardiff for the East African Standard in Nairobi, at a time when the Mau Mau rebellion was at its peak. After a spell reporting he became a sub and later deputy chief-sub. From Nairobi he was sent to the Standard’s sister newspaper in Kampala, the Uganda Argus, as chief sub. After a year in Uganda he was recalled to Nairobi as chief sub and night editor.

In 1962 Roy Thompson, a major player in U.K. commercial television, turned his attentions to Africa and set up the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. Terry was offered a job in the radio newsroom and took it. After a short training course with BBC Television News at Alexandra Palace he helped to set up a television news service. He also played a leading part in organising a training scheme for African journalists. He went on to become editor, radio and television news.

After ten years in East Africa he and his family returned to England and he joined the BBC. In 1980, when deputy editor, he went back to Africa after being seconded to the Foreign Office and sent to the newly-independent Zimbabwe to advise on the reorganisation of the news department at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and to set up a journalist training programme, as laid down in the Lancaster House Agreement.

After more than two months in Zimbabwe Terry returned to London and worked on the BBC News Cable Study Group, which explored the BBC’s possible role in world television.

In his last few months as editor he chaired an Advisory Panel, set up by John Tusa, which examined and made recommendations on the entire output of the News and Current Affairs departments. He retired to Worcestershire and took off to the canals and rivers of England in his narrowboat. He also worked for the Teme Valley talking newspaper for the blind and as editor of a community magazine.

As he would tell anyone who asked, some of the happiest years of his life were at Bush House, working with first-class dedicated journalists who were also excellent colleagues. And as he would also say, he enjoyed every day of his working life.