by Gerry Warren

She left school with just one '0’ level but Rosemary Braithwaite, who died last week, became a multi award-winning journalist with the Kentish Gazette during her 26 year career with the newspaper.

She retired from the full time business in 2000 but continued to write a weekly column for several years. She also worked with her husband, Geoff Saltmarsh in his travel PR company.

Rosemary, who was 70 and lived at Westmarsh near Ash, was diagnosed with cancer last November and began a battle with the disease which included radiotherapy and chemotherapy. But she passed away on Friday at the Pilgrims Hospice in Margate.

Her funeral is at Barham Crematorium at 10.40am on Friday (May 28) to which all her old friends are invited.

Renowned for her feisty, no nonsense character, her career highlights included winning the Shepherd Neame Kent Journalist of the Year Award in 1992, the BT Southern Press Awards Weekly Journalist of the Year in 1994 and a highly commended in the same awards the following year.

In 1999 she collected another award from Shepherd Neame for leading the Gazette’s campaign to save the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, which included Rosemary personally presenting a dossier to 10 Downing Street.

The family is requesting family flowers only at the service but say that donations can be made to Cancer Research via a dedicated website www.justgiving.com/Rosemary-Saltmarsh.

See this week's Gazette for full report and tributes.