Daily columnist loses battle with cancer

The Sunshine Coast Daily is mourning the loss of one of its longest-serving columnists who has passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Columnist, author, cook, award-winning travel and feature writer, Ann Rickard. Picture: jkhkkkk

THE Sunshine Coast Daily is mourning the loss of one of its longest-serving columnists who has passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Columnist, author, cook, award-winning travel and feature writer, the ever-effervescent Ann Rickard for the past 25 years wrote for the Noosa News, the former Sunshine Coast Sunday, the Sunshine Coast Daily and as group travel writer for News Regional Media.

Ann was much-loved by readers, who she regaled with hilarious anecdotes of her travels with her husband Geoff through Greece, Italy and France, journeys that led to her best-selling Not Another Greek Salad series of travel books.

Ann Rickard.

She went on to write in a similar vein - Not Another Book About Italy; The Last Book About Italy; Flash and Brash with Fries on the Side, Ooh La La! A French Romp and Three In A Bed in the Med.

The 2016 APN feature writer of the year embraced travel with a passion, and was also winner of the 2005 prestigious ASTW's Australian Travel Writer of the Year award and in 2007 the ASTW Travel Book of the Year.

With a ready laugh and unfathomable depths of enthusiasm Ann, with Geoff - a former Noosa Tourism Board chairman - at her side, was even able to juggle her multitude of interests and run culinary tours of provincial France.

Her passing comes as a shock to the thousands of Australian and New Zealand avid readers of both columns, blogs and books.

Ann's last piece for the Sunshine Coast Daily appears in tomorrow's Weekend Magazine.