Gerald Reid, the veteran journalist who died April 27 from cancer, gave unyielding coverage to grass-roots sports during his 49-year career.

The 74-year-old Reid, a former member of the Jamaica Military Band, was interred at the Jamaica Defence Force at Up Park Camp on June 5.

Popularly known as “Reidy”, he started working at what was then The Daily Gleaner in 1974. Throughout his 25-year tenure at that publication, he covered Senior Cup cricket, Major League football, and national netball tournaments.

Reid was a founder of the City League football competition. Along with fellow stalwart Orville Clarke, he gave extensive coverage to Minor and Junior Cup cricket, Corner League football, skittles tournaments, badminton and squash.

Born in Kingston, Reid attended the Alpha Boys’ School at South Camp Road, an institution known for producing world-class musicians. His contemporaries included drummer Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace, saxophonist Richard “Dirty Harry” Hall and singer Leroy Smart.

After leaving Alpha, he joined the Military Band.

Garfield Myers, editor-at-large at the Jamaica Observer, joined The Daily Gleaner staff around the same time as Reid. He remembers him as “a good soldier and wonderful bredrin”.

He added: “Most people don’t know, but Gerald Reid was a highly respected musician. He learnt his craft like many others of his generation at Alpha, close to Sabina Park at South Camp Road, thanks to the Sisters and Brothers of the Roman Catholic Church. I know next to nothing about music, but I am assured that he was a fine saxophonist.

“I have a memory clouded by the many years, the good juice and cigarette smoke, of Gerald telling me he played for the Military Band. Which probably explains his final farewell at Up Park Camp. I don’t know how Gerald got into journalism. If he ever told me, I didn’t listen. But my earliest memory of him was the Gleaner Sports Desk in the early ’70s.

“For all the years I’ve known him he was a sort of professional freelancer. Ever willing to take on the tasks that others declined. Volleyball, dominoes, swimming … plus whatever else needed to be done. Gerald was always a willing soldier. It wasn’t by accident he reported sports. Gerald was actually a talented footballer and a decent cricketer.”

After leaving The Gleaner, Reid worked at the Government-run Institute of Sports. He returned to journalism at the Observer several years ago as a freelancer on the sports desk.