Ruehl's irreverent wit and ability to puncture pretentiousness with a well-turned phrase gave thousands of dedicated readers a good reason to read the paper back to front on the days the column appeared. His descriptions of growing up with teenage children are laugh-out-loud funny (well, for parents), and a younger generation of readers decided he was cool, with his constant satirical references to their music, dress and approach to life. Politicians sometimes winced but knew his hilarious descriptions of what was really going on in Canberra resonated more loudly than any press release. Peter Ruehl never lost his distinctive American style but he was able to understand Australian culture and to write about it and his views in a passionately funny and deeply personal way. Greg Hywood, chief executive of Fairfax, says he became a 'national institution'.