Radio pioneer and one of the first presenters at community station 3WAY-FM, Mona Swinton died on August 10, at Warrnambool, aged 102. She was presenting two weekly shows on 3WAY up until 2020.

Mona worked as a decoder during World War II saying in a 3WAY interview:

“I was born near London, Ontario, Canada and I grew up during the Depression Years, finished High School and entered the local Secretarial School where I did well in shorthand and typing. In early 1940, I answered an ad from British Securities for typists to work in New York—the Mecca for many young Canadians. I got the job along with five other girls from London. I didn’t tell my mother, but she got a shock when my travel papers were delivered by Special Delivery one Sunday morning. A week or so later, we left for New York which was a major turning point in my life as I had just turned 20.

The work involved using the famous Enigma Code Breaker machine. It looked like a typewriter, but operated in a different way. The system was made up of five narrow wheels with the alphabet scattered through them. You pressed a key firmly, but another letter appeared in print. It was not speed typing. The office was on the first floor of the International Building in the Rockefeller Centre on Fifth Avenue. It was quite normal to see well-known movie actors and other VIPs walking around the streets. I stayed there until the war ended; the job also finished. Rather than return to Canada, I got a job with the Australian Mission to the U.N. and, later, with the Australian News and Information Bureau.”

Retiring to Warrnambool in 1979, Mona joined 3WAY, then called CREW FM in 1984, with weekday shows Stardust and Afternoon Delight. The station’s office was in her spare room until they were able to use the ‘dungeon’, as she called it, under some offices, next to the Criterion Hotel.

The station paid tribute to Mona, saying: