He was the son of Neville and Florence McElderry, brother of Oonagh, and born in Nigeria with his twin brother Dermot on January 13, 1966, two days before the Biafra coup.

The family moved to Letter, Co. Fermanagh, in 1972. The twins enjoyed football and Boys’ Brigade in Pettigo. Kevin was the drummer in a group set up by John Haslett.

After leaving Portora in 1984, Kevin studied French and German at Newcastle University, where his interest in journalism was sparked off. He wrote for the university newspaper and had some pieces printed in the Impartial Reporter. He then spent a year as Lektor in Rostock, the former East Germany. He studied journalism in Sheffield, and worked in Kettering, Leeds and Newcastle. In 1991 he married Ailsa Weymes from Gateshead, a fellow French and German graduate whom he met at Newcastle.

They went on to have two children, Sophie born in 1998 and Tristan in 1999.

In 1995 he began working for Agence France Presse in Paris as an English language journalist, but when the chance came to go to Bosnia as a reporter during the war there he volunteered immediately. He was in Congo at the fall of President Mobutu and, although the borders were closed, he just made it back in time for his sister’s wedding. He also reported on the plight of refugees in Rwanda.

He went from Paris to the London bureau in 1998, to Berlin in 2002, and was back in Paris as deputy head of the English desk from 2004 to 2006, and was the Asia-Pacific deputy editor-in-chief in Hong Kong between 2006 and 2009, where he was diagnosed with cancer in 2008.

On his return to Paris in 2009, and right up to his final month, he continued to work during his treatment, insisting on working a shift or more a week in the office or from home. Although by this time, it was clear his illness was beyond cure or even control. Many friends have commented on how Kevin was a joy to work with, always on top of the job, chipping in with suggestions when someone missed something, and forgiving when they slipped up. Known in the agency for his great writing style, kindness and sense of humour - including his less-than-credible claim that he always tried hard to avoid exercise and non-essential work - he also had the rare ability to keep reporters happy while entirely recasting their copy.

His boss in Hong Kong said “Kevin might have been ill.....but above all he had his family and his job......and he stayed focused on these two key parts of his life until the end. He fought so hard, always cheerfully, with that solid Northern Irish stoicism that served him so well. It is true he did not beat his illness, but this is important......with his spirit he mastered it in his own way”.

Kevin had requested a celebration of his life at his funeral which was held at Holy Trinity church in nearby Maisons-Lafitte, and was conducted by the Rev. Trevor Whitfield. Kevin’s chosen hymns were: ‘Lord of all Hopefulness’ and ‘Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee’ (tune Ode to Joy). The address was given by Trevor Whitfield. Remembering Kevin’s life were: his father Neville McElderry; Eric Wishart (AFP Regional Director Asia) and Kevin’s wife Ailsa. His daughter Sophie did a reading and son, Tristan, gave his own recollections and thoughts about his Dad, and the song “You’re The One” was played. Music was provided by a local choir singing “Alleluiah”, violinist Geoffrey Langford Powell played ‘Meditation de Thais’ (Massenet), and Frederick Gramann began and ended the service by playing Bach on the organ.

Among those at the service were his sister Oonagh and husband Steven Brett; his brother Dermot and wife Helen and daughter Ciara; his uncle and aunt Frank and Dorothy Cunningham and many colleagues and friends who had travelled from as far as London, Germany and even China. He is buried in Saint Germain-en-Laye, where his family still live.