‘A father is God to his son,’ declares the father in David Whish-Wilson’s story ‘The Cook’, just a split second before he is shot dead by his drug-dealing son. Thus begins this special edition of Westerly, which marks not only the magazine’s sixtieth year of publication but also the retirement of its two standing editors, Delys Bird and Tony Hughes-d’Aeth.

Fortunately, those who live by the editorial pen need not die by it (at least not with the same ruthless permanence as those who live by the .303). As the collection of histories written specially for this issue by past editors and associates of the magazine shows, they are more likely to be invited back to share anecdotes and reminisce on their time as head of the family.