A state funeral will be held for Bert Newton on Friday 12 November at 9.15am Melbourne time. Most tv stations will broadcast it, including Channel 7 and Channel 9.
Tribute to Bert Newton from Scott Mayman
It’s with a heavy heart that I write this, as I honour a man who’s been a gentleman of our broadcast industry, following news of his death on Saturday.
It was 1992 at Sydney’s 2KY Radio when I was first introduced to Bert Newton. I was fortunate to interview him.
I grew up watching this bloke on TV with Don Lane. You’ve got no idea about my excitement to see Bert sitting across from me in the studio and I was lucky enough to interview him.
Keep in mind, I was a young fella at this stage of my career. We struck up a great conversation. He seemed impressed with me because I was able to ask Questions and follow-up questions off the top of my head. He was very warm to me, especially as I knew his background. Two weeks later, he sent me this incredibly glossy bio book, complete with autograph.
15 years would pass before I was lucky enough to interview him again. This time I was working on Gold Coast radio. We hadn’t even started the interview when he recited, nearly everything we talked about during our previous encounter. He remembered everything!
Bert was so polite and courteous to me. He also gave me advice on a variety of topics. It was like picking up where you left off with a mate you haven’t seen in years. We just “clicked”.
Bert almost became a regular on my radio program. He had so much to talk about with a variety of projects he was working on. TV, stage, you name it, he was so versatile.
He was so kind to make himself available. I just had to pick up the phone. He never spoke a harsh word about anyone.
He was genuine. He was a true gentleman and a polished performer. Our friendship continued when I changed radio jobs (again) and became News Director at 4BC.
Australian broadcasting, Radio and Television, has lost one of the true backbones of our industry.
For me, it’s a personal loss.
Many people won’t ever realise what Bert has done for us. Many others, like myself who’ve been touched by this gentle giant, will grieve his passing.
But his memory and wonderful words will always live on in our hearts.
