ABC Head of Radio, Michael Mason sent this message to all staff

Dear All,
 
Many of you now will have heard the sad news of the passing of ABC Radio presenter Mark Colvin.
 
Mark Colvin was the voice of reason and the voice of understanding, and one much respected by industry and audiences alike.
 
He was someone who could explain the complexities of the news of the day as a weary workforce headed home. Mark possessed a gifted ability to deftly frame that content in an order, and in a presentation style you not only trusted, but one that offered clarity, balance, and reason, minus the hysteria of the media or commentary bubble.
 
Mark will always will be remembered as the consummate ABC broadcaster –  from Double J to PM – erudite, questioning, probing, toey, compassionate, funny and simply a brilliant voice and brain.  Like millions of listeners across the country, we all grew to trust and depend on him to make sense of the world.
 
As you would expect, the news of Mark’s passing has been met with profound sorrow. We have been inundated and overwhelmed with deeply moving and heart felt tributes from listeners some of which I would like to share to with you here:
 
So grateful to Mark Colvin for his commitment to his work even when battling health issues. A fine intellect who did the hard slog to keep us better informed. An absolute delight to hear his voice and his inherent eloquence. A master of the craft and profession of journalism.
 
RIP Mark . In an Era of bias media coercion misleading and fake news you were a cut above most of your peers. Always professional and on target.
 
A true ABC personality.
 
Terrible news. A giant in broadcasting and an authentic journalist. His voice on PM was a reassuring touchstone of probity and decency, a national treasure. 6pm on ABC Radio will never be the same. Vale Mark.
 
RIP Mark Colvin. For over 30 years I have watched and listened to your incisive and erudite reportage. We are indeed very lucky in Australia to have people  of this calibre committed to public broadcasting and highly professional journalism. I hope Andrew Olle  is waiting to give you your last interview. Another one of our greats. Long live the ABC and all those who sail in her.
 
A sad day. I heard Mark some months ago on Conversations with Richard Fidler. A fascinating life now cut far too short.
 
So sad to hear about the loss of one of this countries most talented journalists. Vale Mark Colvin. Thank you for your life’s work.
 
Vale, Mark Colvin. Such a loss to Australian journalism. That gladiator voice and enormous intellect will be hugely missed.
 
Listening to PM just will not be the same. The tone of his voice  and the depth of measured thought that was behind it was always of great interest to me. His passing is a national loss.
 
A highly intelligent man with great dignity who worked tirelessly even through dire illness. I feel heartbroken for his family. He will be remembered as one of the media greats. RIP.
 
Today we pause to honour Mark’s memory. His legacy will live on through his vast contribution to broadcasting across the ABC, and around the world.  
 
Vale Mark Colvin
 
 Michael