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The world has lost a great broadcaster and I have lost a great mate!
When I moved from commercial radio to the ABC in Radio Operations, one of the first people I really “clicked’ with was Bruce Webster. He was so easy to work with – reading National News I would play in the tape (yes tape) inserts. At the end of each bulletin he would always come out to the Control Room and say “Thank You”, which no one else ever did.
He had a great interest in Sport and I often used to panel him on “Sporting Panel” which went for about seven hours on a Saturday. Many times I panelled him on all Networks where he could change his style instinctively to match.
We developed Nicknames for each other (neither of which I am going to repeat here) and started to socialise outside.
We learnt to fly at roughly the same time, another passion we both shared.
We worked together overseas on both Olympic and Commonwealth Games where anything could go wrong and often did. Bruce could just pick up the pieces and run with them, even if he had to ad-lib for ten minutes!
Our outside friendship grew, and we met with great broadcasters such as Alan Marks and Gerry Collins for a long lunch at the Mooney Mooney Club, an event Bruce loved through having been “Broken Bay Coastal Patrol Division Commander”. Any chance for Bruce to be on the water was eagerly snapped up. We emailed each other constantly with jokes and other funnies.
His beloved wife Pat to this day remains probably one of the strongest supporting people I have ever met and she was naturally with Bruce when we lost him.
Vale Bruce Laurence Webster, you made this world a greater place!!!
David Wynter, Chatswood NSW.
Bruce Webster represents the best in Australian life - thankyou for your service.