His writing was often coloured by his strong Christian beliefs.

"Part of it is the fact that I have been blatantly Christian. A lot don't like that at all," George told the Daily Post last February.

George died in Rotorua Hospital on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He was 75-years-old.

His journalism career spanned more than five decades since he started at the Southland Times in 1958.

During his career he worked for a variety of papers including the Herald, Auckland Star, Dominion Post and Rotorua Daily Post.

Former Rotorua Daily Post editor Kim Gillespie said George had been a much-valued columnist whose views often sparked a response from readers.

"Garth had a knack for getting right to the heart of an issue, and while I didn't always agree with what he wrote, you couldn't deny his passion for both writing and for his beliefs."

George is survived by his wife Judith, children Michele and Michael, and grandchildren Ben and Holly.

A Mass will be held for him on Friday at St Mary's Catholic Church in Rotorua from 1pm, followed by a private burial.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• topix.com

Since the beginning of this year, that love started to disappear and his weekly columns in the Bay of Plenty Times had become a chore.

That's why he's decided to put away his pen and focus on enjoying the days he has left.

George, who has terminal cancer, said perhaps it was the pain medication he took, but the writing had stopped flowing like it used to.

He said in the past few months, his columns had been a good way of keeping his mind off what was happening to him.

He said he'd appreciated the freedom to write about whatever he wanted - and realised that the editors of papers often put up with "a lot of crap" because of his columns.

"Part of it is the fact that I have been blatantly Christian. A lot don't like that at all."

It's that Christian message shared through his Christmas and Easter columns in particular that he is most proud of.

Source

• www.nzherald.co.nz
• Image: truebluenz

"I lost a very dear friend this week. We had known each other for only a few years but we got together regularly to talk about life and faith and all sorts of other things", says Garth George.

"He was a man rich in years, rich in experience and rich in wisdom and was always prepared to share his life with others."

George says there are now several dozen permanent deacons in the Hamilton and Auckland dioceses - in itself a lasting memorial to the life of Mike Ryan.

• Read Garth George's column in the Rotorua Daily Post
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Garth George is a columnist, who is published in the NZ Herald

It is entitled "Towards a Robust Society." Garth George presents some excerpts from the essay.

"Every three years," they say, "the electoral cycle reminds us of the inestimable value of democracy, and the opportunity for voter and candidate alike to actively participate in determining the future shape of our society."

Defining how we understand ourselves as people in community, the churchmen say: "Underpinning each person's vision for society will be a number of assumptions about what it means to be human ... that can be characterised by two broad emphases. The first tends to regard each person primarily as an autonomous individual, each with his or her own needs, aspirations and interests.

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Garth George _ New Zealand Herald