ABC 936 Tasmania breakfast presenter Ric Paterson has announced his retirement after 42 years in the radio industry, most of them on ABC936.

Paterson, who will shortly turn 60, made the announcement at the launch of the 2006 ABC Giving Tree.

Paterson told the audience at the launch:

“Last night I got the calculator out and did some rough calculations. In 42 years in radio I’ve played around about 87,360 records and have done roughly 16,400 interviews.”

His last show will go to air on December 22.

ABC Radio’s state director Rob Batten paid tribute to Paterson, saying his contribution to the community goes well beyond his broadcasting career:

“I’ve always admired Ric for being a big voice, a big personality, but most importantly a big heart. I think that heart is reflected in what he does with the Giving Tree, what he does behind the scenes, what he for people who need and he helps them all the time.”