Journalism trainer and former journalist Russell Lyne has died aged 65, the Thomson Foundation reports.

Lyne, who had been in poor health for two years after suffering a stroke, joined the global training foundation in 1995, and later became a full-time project manager and training consultant, and eventually head of regional development.

He was ‘a cornerstone of the Foundation’s international success,’ the organisation said this week.

He worked in numerous countries: South Africa, Botswana, India, Vietnam, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Bahrain, Qatar, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Kasakhstan, Romania and Bulgaria.

Lyne’s career included time at newspapers, radio and television:

“After working as night news editor for the Western Mail, the daily newspaper for Wales, between 1976 and 1978, he formed his own freelance news agency before joining the BBC as chief news assistant for BBC Radio Wales in 1982. Russell went on spend a year as a producer for BBC Radio Four’s Today programme in 1983. He later became a senior producer for BBC Radio Wales, leaving to join HTV as news editor in 1987, where he eventually became programme controller of news and sport.”

Thomson Foundation CEO Janet Boston writes:

“Time after time I meet people  from Asia, Africa and the Middle East who tell me, quite unprompted, that he was one of the best trainers they ever had. Apparently Russell’s energy bounced off the training room walls either with pleasure that the group were responding or with complete irritation at their lack of enthusiasm.”

The foundation is asking for additional memories of Lyne. Contribute yours at this link.