Extraordinary, inspirational, genuine, brilliant, original, unique: all adjectives that have been used to describe Rhodri in the hundreds of tributes I’ve read over the past few days, each one an accurate description of him. I met both Julie and Rhodri 20 years ago in the ‘Yes for Wales’ campaign. I then worked on Rhodri’s two leadership campaigns back in 1998 and 1999, the history of which is very well known. However, Rhodri absolutely believed his time would come, often quoting one of his beloved sporting analogies, ‘Three tries for a Welshman’, which indeed turned out to be the case. When he became First Minister in February 2000, he ensured devolution—still very much in its infancy—worked for everyone in Wales, by steadying the ship and providing exceptional leadership. Devolution will be his political legacy. Without him, it would have been a much more difficult journey.

I was privileged to be elected by the people of Wrexham to serve under Rhodri in 2007. Rhodri and Julie really encouraged me to put myself forward to be an elected representative. So, I owe him a great deal and I will never forget his personal support and encouragement over the last two decades. I often sought his advice and wisdom, and I remember, during one particularly unpleasant day during an election campaign, when opponents were hurling personal insults, that he heard about this and rang me to tell me to rise above it and remember that politics was about playing the ball and not the man—yet another sporting analogy.

Even though I am still shocked and saddened at his sudden death, it is not possible to think of Rhodri for long without remembering a story to make you smile. And there are so many of those stories to provide comfort at this time. On his many visits to Wrexham, he often called at my house to see us. One Sunday, he had been to meet with individuals affected by severe flooding and arrived hoping to have a roast Sunday lunch before heading home to south Wales. However, it was my daughter’s sixth birthday, so no Sunday lunch was on offer, just a chaotic house, and, typically, he rolled up his sleeves, helped prepare for the birthday party and cleaned the kitchen afterwards.

Colleagues who were here pre 2011 will remember, as Carwyn said, that Rhodri chose never to switch his computer on whilst he was First Minister. Someone would do it for him and he simply pressed the buttons to vote. However, following his retirement as First Minister, he decided that he really needed to start sending e-mails. On the Friday after he stepped down, he e-mailed me congratulating me on my appointment as a Deputy Minister, telling me that this was the first e-mail he’d ever sent and I should treasure it.

On our return after the Christmas recess, Rhodri sat directly behind me in the Chamber, and often used to ask me, in a very loud whisper, did I fancy a cuppa, much to the consternation of the then Presiding Officer. So, I decided to show him how to use the messaging system we have in the Chamber and he then decided that I should be his 24/7 ICT support—a job I was really happy to do, as it was the first thing I’d ever been able to do better than him.

Rhodri was down to earth, with no airs and graces, truly a man of the people, and passionate about Wales and her people. It didn’t matter which village, town or city in Wales that you visited with him, he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of that place, and invariably spoke to people, finding a cousin or an old family friend. He made everyone feel comfortable and at ease and that’s why he was such a popular politician, known everywhere just by his first name. His loss is felt by so many people, which was emphasised to me on a visit to Wrexham Maelor Hospital last Thursday, when six people, none of whom I knew, just stopped me on the corridor to tell me that they felt they’d lost a friend, even though they’d never met him.

It was a pleasure to be in his company and listen to his stories. He was always happy to share his vast wisdom and knowledge with you. I valued his friendship and will miss him greatly. But of course his top priority in life was his family, to whom he was devoted. Mine and my daughter’s thoughts are with Julie and all his family at this incredibly difficult time. Thank you for everything, Rhodri. Sleep well, comrade.