Mr Hawksley had been at the newspaper, owned by Wilkie-Watson Publications, for 10 years.

He fell ill two months ago and despite intensive treatment, his condition continued to deteriorate and he died on Monday morning.

Wilkie-Watson Publications group managing editor Peter Mahoney paid tribute to Mr Hawksley on Tuesday, saying he would be missed by the Temora community.

“I worked closely with him for the past eight months since leaving The Daily Advertiser and I found him an excellent journalist,” Mr Mahoney said.

“He will be sadly missed by the entire staff of The Temora Independent and the Temora community in general.”