A true stalwart celebrates 50 years of working for The Argus this weekend.

Friends and former work colleagues gathered at Argus House to pay tribute to Keith Winsper.

His first day was on Monday, August 24, 1964, when he was confronted with the rigours of the job – he saw two print workers having a fight.

“When I got home after my first day, my mum said, ‘I don’t think you should go back,’” he recalled.

But he did – and stayed on through five decades and saw The Argus change dramatically.

Keith started as a 16-year-old in printing, where he worked until the late 1980s.

As a first year apprentice he was on a fifth of the wages of a qualified printer.

Mr Winsper said: “It was barely enough to cover the cost of my train ticket and give my mum some money towards my keep – I think I had about ten shillings (50p) a week left over.”

After a five-year apprenticeship he received the traditional “banging out” and was soaked in flour and water, tied to a cart and wheeled round the street.

Life took a new twist for Keith in 1988 as the end of hot metal type saw him move from production to retrain as a news reporter.

He has worked at The Argus on some of its biggest stories including the bombing of The Grand hotel, Albion getting to the FA Cup final and the ongoing demise of the West Pier.

He wrote news and filled business pages before settling into the features department eight years ago.

He has pretty much done it all, including delivering the paper.

He met his wife, Elsa Gillio who worked in telesales, two weeks into his career at The Argus.

Keith said: “Staying in one job for life certainly wouldn’t suit everybody but that’s the way I like it.

“I’ve no regrets.”

Editor of The Argus, Michael Beard, said: “To celebrate 50 years working for The Argus is an incredible achievement, even more so in Keith’s case because he crossed the floor from the composing room to the news room.

“Everyone at The Argus who knows Keith would like to congratulate him on this milestone.

“It’s a remarkable achievement by a remarkable man.”

Dawn Sweeney, managing director of The Argus, said: “I’m pretty confident very few people celebrate 50 years at one company. Well done, Keith.”