FAMILY and friends recently gathered at the Gardenside Chapel at Basildon Crematorium to say farewell to much-loved and highly respected Thurrock journalist Michael (Mick) Pulfrey, who passed away earlier this year.

At a service conducted by celebrant Emma Walker, the life of the long time Thurrock Gazette journalist was celebrated, when many stories were recalled of his life, times and impact on the borough of Thurrock.

His wife, Maureen, detailed Mick's life as a child in Nottinghamshire through to his arrival in Thurrock where he became a stalwart journalist at the Thurrock Gazette for decades.

Her words to the funeral service, read by Ms Walker, were: "What a man, what a life!

"Michael was born 21st May 1948 in Newark, Nottinghamshire, to Bob and Edna Pulfrey. Having two older sisters Carol and Wendy, being the youngest and a boy, he was rather spoilt, which he always denied.

"His childhood was happy with lots of freedom to play in the countryside. He tolerated school, using his intelligence and personality to get away with some rule breaking, he did the minimum to get by. His English teacher told him he would never pass his exams which was ironical because he went on to become a very good journalist.

He did excel at sports - rugby and cricket at grammar school and his first love, football, outside of school.

Local or national. Mick Pulfrey chased down Thurrock issues.

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"By chance, while looking for a career, he fell into journalism as a trainee with the Newark Advertiser, where he got a good grounding in the trade and passed his reporting exams.

"However, Mick had itchy feet and a sense of adventure. Once he had qualified he wanted to spread his wings. He asked his girlfriend Maureen if she would hitchhike to Spain with him for the Summer and to his surprise she said 'yes'. This was the start of their life long adventure.

"Then along came their first child, Nicola, and reality set it. So a determined Mick applied for many jobs and secured one in Essex on the Romford Express but based in Grays. He was soon noticed by the bosses at the Thurrock Gazette, and not wanting him as the opposition, they poached him for their own.

"This was to be his dream job which lasted his whole working life. One joining the Gazette he stepped into a universe he never knew existed. From the stuffy parochial Newark Advertiser, suddenly he was flung into a world of young, enthusiastic reporters from all walks of life.

"From ultra right wing to communist, he found his spiritual home and enjoyed many a debate and made lifelong friends, Mike Pentalow, Mike Newman and Dave Jobbins among them. He particularly enjoyed the lunchtime football sessions against the dustmen in Grays Park.

"Work hard, play hard was his motto.

"Starting on the Gazette as the Docks Reporter he rose to become Chief Reporter with 10 staff, some of whom were young reporters that he had to train and who later said they never forgot his guidance. He then rose to News Editor, a post that he carried out with diligence and fairness. Mick always had a sense of fairness and justice. Mick was a great life partner, after a rather turbulent start, to which many a friend can testify, the marriage lasted 57 years, years of love, loyalty and friendship with many adventures along the way.

"Mick was a fantastic father to his two children Nicola and Alex. A natural father, he wanted to give his children every experience from camping, rock climbing, sliding down muddy hills and playing games, there was never a dull moment. It sometimes verged on the dangerous, at least to a worried Mum. His sense of fun captivated his children and his nephews and nieces.

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Later he was thrilled when Nicola gave him two grandchildren, Lewis and Lauren, and he could once again pass on his love of life. Surprisingly, he also found he was good at DIY and his skills are to be found all over the family home.

"One thing that could be said of Mick was that he was competitive. He loved his sport, football, cricket, squash, bowls, golf, even beach cricket. Whatever he did, he played it to the best of his ability and played his heart out. He ran a football team, Orsett Academicals, for a few years and the only time he got booked was when a ringer played for the team one Sunday and used Mick's name. That ringer was Bobby Moore!

A life lived among many friends.

"Mick had a great capacity for making friends wherever he went, many of them long lasting and even holiday friends wanted to keep in touch and exchange visits. It was his sense of fun and his generosity that attracted people, plus his intelligence and ability to converse on all levels. He always saw the best in people.

"It can be said Mick lived life to the full, travelling the world in many, many holidays all with a funny story attached which he delighted in relating.

"He loved group holidays with friends, and long distance walking with Maureen, tramping across the English countryside. He especially loved Italy even learning the language, after a fashion. His greatest love of all was for his beloved Nottingham Forest, the football team he supported from his earliest childhood. When Forest got into the European Cup, nothing was going to stop him from going to Munich persuading his best friend Mike Newman to accompany him.

"Then, when the team achieved it again the next year he was desperate to go to Madrid. This time he persuaded Mike Canavon and three others to drive down, camp there and drive back. He had great powers of persuasion!

"He never slowed down until the devastating Alzheimer's illness took hold and robbed him of his memories and stories. Even then he kept going for a long time enjoying his family, his walks, his home and his cat Arthur."

Others, including Mick's son Alex, spoke of Mick's ability to have rapport with so many different people.