He had a way with people that made him excel at his craft. It was hard not to feel at home with this larger-than-life character.

A man with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, he also found time to write numerous books on subjects ranging from architecture to Chinese cooking to the history of the Hong Kong Police Force. One of his most comprehensive achievements was writing a centenary book documenting the history of the South China Morning Post.

A conversation with him, for the newcomer, was hilarious to watch, as the listener tried to catch his words as they rumbled from his throat - courtesy of a tracheotomy necessitated by one of his first rounds with cancer in 1978 - accentuated by theatrical gestures and eyes that bulged for effect at a story's climax.

He was indeed part thespian and raconteur, with a wild humour that could make a Hakka fisherman blush, a charm that could disarm the iciest argument, and an impish way with children that could always draw a wide-eyed squeal of delight and perhaps the exclamation: 'Mama, who's that funny man with the hole in his neck?'

His 40-year career in Hong Kong is well documented - few of us have not read a Sinclair column and fumed with affront or nodded sagely in agreement.

His just-released autobiography, Tell Me a Story, published by the South China Morning Post, reveals scores of anecdotes about the man, from his working-class roots in New Zealand to his time in Australia as a budding young reporter, to his many years in Hong Kong and the mainland, exploring and documenting a land vastly unknown after the fall of the bamboo curtain.

But there are also many anecdotes people tell or remember of this Hong Kong icon.

Those who knew him well knew a man who worked extremely hard, but treasured and savoured moments when he was among family and friends, perhaps at some local restaurant with great food and a nice view, or at his home on special occasions, of which there were many for the Sinclair family.

Hong Kong's chief executive said Sinclair would be remembered for many things - his professionalism and integrity, his enquiring mind, his fairness, his love of the journalistic craft, his humour and good nature, and, of course, his pursuit of the perfect glass of wine.

Mr Tsang said he had been very moved by the courage and tenacity that Sinclair displayed during the book-signing event.

'Although born a Kiwi, to me Kevin typified the undaunted Hong Kong spirit - a fact borne out by the enormous mental and physical effort it must have taken to finish his book, and Kevin's determination to see his friends and colleagues at the FCC even at a time when he was gravely ill. It was an honour and a privilege for me personally to have been able to talk to him that night, and to have received a copy of his book,' said the chief executive.

Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said he had known Sinclair for a number of years, first as a Legislative Council member then later as a principal official. 'He was a true professional who always looked for balance in his news stories,' Mr Tang said.

He said his columns were always interesting, whether they were about village affairs, tourism, law and order, or just day-to-day life in Hong Kong.

'Kevin had that special knack of being able to feel the pulse of ordinary Hong Kong people. I especially liked reading his wine columns, because he did know his stuff. It was obvious from his writing that he really enjoyed good wine, and he brought that passion to life for those regular readers of his reviews.'

The chief secretary said those who knew Sinclair were humbled by the courage he displayed in his fight against cancer. 'Hong Kong has lost a good friend - actually, we've lost an adopted son,' Mr Tang said.

Sinclair's determination to finish his book was typical of his approach to all aspects of his work. Over the years he covered topics in many sectors from hard news to travel and tourism, both locally and globally, earning widespread recognition for his insightful reporting. Among the many awards he received for journalism, last year he was named Travel Journalist of the Year by the Pacific Asia Travel Association, which also gave him its 2006 Grand Award for Heritage.

However, the pinnacle of recognition came in 1983 when he was awarded an MBE for his contribution to the community through journalism. Although Sinclair was never one to boast about his achievements, it was a proud moment for him, his wife Kit and their two children David and Kiri when they attended the presentation ceremony at Buckingham Palace in the presence of Queen Elizabeth.

New Zealand-born Sinclair wrote a great deal about police matters. In 1983, he wrote Asia's Finest, his first book on the Hong Kong police, which was acclaimed as the best book ever written about a law-enforcement body in Asia. This deeply researched and skilfully illustrated book reflected the close attention he devoted to the role and work of the Hong Kong police.

His second book about the force, Royal Hong Kong Police 150th Anniversary, was published in 1994. It showed his realistic appreciation of how the police carried out their arduous, often dangerous tasks. Asia's Finest Marches On by Sinclair was published in early 1997.

The force said Sinclair was a long-standing friend of the Hong Kong police. 'He made an invaluable contribution to newspapering in Hong Kong. We have lost a good friend, distinguished journalist and a passionate supporter of Hong Kong. Kevin will be long remembered for his professionalism, integrity, fairness and undaunted Hong Kong spirit.'

David Bell, a former Cathay Pacific corporate communications manager who first met Sinclair in the late 1960s, said Sinclair had been the ultimate professional.

'Kevin did not suffer fools gladly and was dogged in his pursuit of a story, but he was always very balanced and fair in his reporting. Whenever I travelled with Kevin I was aware I was travelling with a professional and equally a good friend. He made the experience fun, and it was amazing just how many different stories he would cover during a trip,' he said.

Mr Bell said Sinclair had been a long-standing supporter of the tourism industry and an unofficial ambassador for Hong Kong.

Speaking on behalf of the directorate and staff, Information Services Director Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee said Sinclair was one of those journalists who always 'kept us on our toes'.

'When Kevin called we had to deliver. Although we'd sometimes agree to disagree if he took the government to task, we could never fault Kevin's professionalism, integrity and fairness. Indeed, Kevin's inquisitiveness, tenacity and knowledge about Hong Kong affairs also served to make us better at our jobs,' said Mrs Fung.

Former home affairs chief Shelly Lee Lai-kuen said that in the 30 years she had known Sinclair she had been impressed by his tenacity to chase down a story but his total fairness when it came to dealing with issues. 'We were friends, good friends, and I admired Kevin for the way he stood up for social justice.'

She said he was also a friend to Hong Kong, proudly writing about its successes and its people but also not afraid to write about topics or areas that needed improving.

Robin Hutcheon, former editor of the South China Morning Post (1967-86), said: 'Kevin Sinclair joined the Post as news editor in the early 1970s to help boost our coverage of local news in years when we were struggling to compete with the Hong Kong Standard. He achieved wonders. At the same time, we took on many bright young graduates from the journalism streams of the Chinese University and the Baptist College as interns and cadets.

'Under his leadership and inspiration we clawed our way back to the top, and I shall be forever grateful to Kevin for what he did.'

Mr Hutcheon also introduced Sinclair to G.B. Ong, a professor who eventually carried out Sinclair's first operation at Queen Mary Hospital.

'So successful was the surgery in eliminating the cancer that Kevin was given another 30 years of life, which transformed him into an editorial-staff overseer, a columnist, an interviewer, a man of compassion with greater sympathy for others, and with the energy, courage, drive and intensity to keep on top of the game in spite of the difficulties caused by his speech impairment,' Mr Hutcheon said.

York Chow Yat-ngok, the secretary for food and health, an orthopaedic surgeon by profession who knew Sinclair for more than 25 years, said that as a journalist Sinclair was always professional.

'He researched thoroughly and kept to the truth. As a writer he demonstrated his passion and insight in common subjects, whether it was history, food, wine, villages, country parks or Hong Kong. He wrote in such an interesting, humorous and readable style, unique to him. We shall miss him, but his legacy will live on. He has always been supported by his loving wife Kit and children of whom he was always so proud - David and Kiri,' Dr Chow said.

As a journalist, or a reporter as he preferred to be known, Sinclair earned a reputation for being forthright and comprehensive, no more so than when covering the hotel and tourism industry - an area he found fascinating and understood.

'He never pulled his punches,' said Rudolf Greiner, a leading hotelier and former chairman of the Hong Kong Hotels Association. 'I have seen Kevin asking probing questions and giving those involved in the industry a dressing down when he considered they were not doing the best for the industry or Hong Kong's image.'

Sinclair's passion for wine and food, very often simply cooked Cantonese food, was equally matched by his passion for the New Territories and the people who inhabit the villages. Loi Lam, representative for indigenous villagers and owner of the New Hong Kee Seafood Restaurant on Tap Mun Island, one of Sinclair's favourite restaurants and the scene of many long lunches with family and friends, said he was a friend to many villagers throughout the New Territories.

'Kevin was such a knowledgeable man who took an interest in all sorts of village activities, in some ways he was more of a New Territories man than the people who were born and lived all their lives in the New Territories,' said Mr Lam.

Yeung Ka-ming, senior ranger with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, said Sinclair loved the natural environment. 'He was a genuine supporter of the country parks. Because of his passion and deep understanding of the bureaucracy, he could always make a difference benefiting the community.'

Sinclair was also an inspiration to many reporters, both local and expatriate, including those just starting their careers and those who were far more seasoned.

Liam Fitzpatrick, now a senior writer at Time magazine, said meeting Sinclair was the reason he became a journalist. His first day as a raw recruit under the tutelage of Sinclair was largely spent in bars, which involved a considerable amount of drinking while talking to the various people who were often the sources of breaking news stories.

'When I got home and my parents opened the front door, they stared at me in horror. I crawled to the bathroom and vomited spectacularly for some time. Then I stumbled into their arms and whispered the life-changing words, 'Mum, Dad, I really want to be a journalist. I want to be like Kevin Sinclair',' recalls Fitzpatrick.

Geoffrey Somers, ex-editor of the long-defunct tabloid The Star, where Sinclair began his journalistic career in Hong Kong, recalls that news-gathering was meat and potatoes for Sinclair, who built up such a big network of police contacts that he quickly became by far the best-informed police reporter in Hong Kong. He also recalls that Sinclair displayed a rare talent for making the mundane interesting.

Faced with the unenviable task of dissecting an inch-thick report from what was then the Royal Observatory on 'The Relativity of Hong Kong's Geographical Location as Regards the Proclivities of Asian Earthquake Activities', he wrote such an interesting story that the boss was prompted to say, 'I thought Sinclair just chased ambulances - why didn't someone tell us he could write, too?'

Henry Parwani, another colleague and friend from the era of The Star, said Sinclair was one of the best news editors and crime reporters he ever worked with, but equally important, he could number friends from all walks of life and all nationalities. 'There are people you like, but very few you really loved ... he was one of the rare ones. I am sure there are so many people around who would say the same thing,' Mr Parwani said.

Adam Williams, a speaker, businessman and author of three acclaimed historical novels who worked under Sinclair when he was news editor at the South China Morning Post, said meeting him was the beginning of a long, long friendship and a chance to learn the trade from one of the most professional, if irrepressible, reporters in the business.

'Nobody else had recorded the daily ups and downs of Hong Kong as he had. For all his outrageous prejudices and contradictions, his love of sometimes the most dubious heroes [as long as they were colourful that was fine], and his burning sense of social justice that also sometimes clouded his objectivity, Kevin gave us the truth as he saw it.

'His 'Conversations' and his columns and his books together made him a chronicler of Hong Kong that put him in the league of such greats as Maurice Collis, Austen Coates or Dick Hughes. He too had formed our unconscious view of the city we lived in and its history. There was a fighting, irrepressible decency, an enthusiasm about him that underpinned his wild flamboyance and had made him a legend if not an institution since his thirties.

'He was quite the most brilliant in sheer staying power of all his journalist contemporaries,' Mr Williams said.

Paying tribute

Tell Me A Story

Kevin Sinclair's autobiography,

Tell Me A Story, will be on sale today from 1pm to 5pm at Steamers Bar

and Restaurant in Chan Man Street, Sai Kung.

Tribute Evening

There will also be a tribute evening open to the public on January 7 from 6pm to 9pm at the Police Officers' Club, 28 Hung Hing Rd, Causeway Bay (near the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club).