KOTA KINABALU – Veteran journalist Colin Forsythe, who mentored and nurtured numerous media personnel in Sabah, died after a long battle from cancer yesterday evening. He was 62 years old.
A tribute issued by the Sabah Journalist Association (SJA) noted that the Seremban-born had been part of the journalism fraternity in Sabah for some 40 years.
Notably, he founded the Borneo Today news portal five years ago.
He also served as former Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal’s press secretary during the Warisan-Pakatan Harapan government.
Forsythe started as a sports stringer with the Star in the early 70s before he came to Sabah.
Among the organisations that benefited from his talent and zeal during his colourful career were the New Straits Times, Daily Express, and Sabah Times, said SJA president Datuk Muguntan Vanar.
He said that while Forsythe, as he was known, was not the easiest of characters to get along with, there was something about his brooding dry-humoured temperament that helped generate his reputation.
“He was the kind of newsman who would not let go once he picked up the scent of a good story,” Muguntan said.
“And he translated this knack for storytelling to good effect for the better part of 40 years, most of which he spent in Sabah.”
Forsythe covered the whole spectrum of news from politics, crime, general, and sports as a newsman.
He was equally adept as a sub-editor, using his exceptional grasp of English to excel as a wordsmith, Muguntan added.
“As editor he was known for rolling up his sleeves to produce a good read each day, all the time making it no secret that he expected the same of his subordinates.
“Such was his passion. It was a calling not many, especially today’s younger generation of journalists, readily understood, but Colin was ultimately the kind of newsman who loved the written word. And he took pains to deliver,” he said.
Forsythe also started news portal Borneo Today five years ago and was appointed as the press secretary to Shafie after the general election in May 2018.
“Again, he put his journalism experience to good use in this new capacity, rallying the troops to set forth the government agenda and admonishing, and not shyly, when the media pushed the envelope too far. Such was his character.
“Another thing not many know is that there was also a soft side to this hard-nosed newsman. Colin threw himself into charity work, bringing much-needed relief to rural areas and also initiating a rural school hostel in Kg Sulit in Paitan,” Muguntan noted.
“And as a church warden, he did not find it beneath him to direct church traffic on Sundays, thus earning him the moniker Outstanding Catholic, much to his amusement,” said Muguntan
He added that Forsythe’s death was nothing short of a loss to the media fraternity and the community he lived in.
Forsythe was secretary of the SJA in its formative years and remained very supportive of the media organisation. – The Vibes, November 2, 2021
