A FORMER Argus photographer ‘who lived and breathed his job’ has received a posthumous civic award from the Blackwood Town Council.

Peter Dash, an ex-picture editor at the paper, passed away on Thursday July 28, aged 68.

His wife, Christine, and mother, Peggy, attended the ceremony at the Blackwood Miners’ Institute to accept the award on Wednesday evening.

“I am very honoured to accept this award on Peter’s behalf from Blackwood Town Council,” his wife said.

“I know Peter isn’t too far away, beaming and quietly proud that you deem what he did naturally all his life, helping everyone when he could - especially anyone from his beloved Blackwood - worthy of such an accolade.”

Along with Mr Dash’s mother, she also thanked the council for honouring her husband.

Before presenting the award on Wednesday evening, the clerk of Blackwood Town Council, John Hold, said Mr Dash was someone ‘who lived and breathed his job’.

Mr Hold made reference to the former picture editor’s love of Blackwood, and photographing the town’s carnival. He also called him an ‘ambassador’.

“He was very proud of the town and was always keen to promote it in any way that he could,” Mr Hold added.

“It was very sad to hear the news of Peter’s passing but he always handled himself with compassion and humour. It was fitting for the council to award him with this recognition.”

Mr Dash joins an illustrious list of members of the Blackwood community to receive posthumous awards, including opera singer Dame Margaret Price, former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain Alun Pask, and Bridget McNally MBE.

In addition to Mr Dash, Blackwood residents Peter Hong MBE and Geoffrey Wright also received civic awards from the town council on the night.

Mr Hong, an optician in the Caerphilly town, received his award for service to the community in optics, and for providing his skills to other communities across the world for the past 30 years.

Mr Wright, meanwhile, has helped deliver fruit and vegetables to the residents of Blackwood for the past 50 years.

Also receiving a civic award at the ceremony were Iain Richards and Estelle Wilkinson, the duo behind the Velvet Coalmine festival.