Radio and television presenter and producer, author and oral historian Tim Bowden has died aged 87.
Born in Hobart, Tim did much to increase people’s knowledge and understanding of Antarctica with his 1990s documentaries of Australian research and footage in the region still referenced and used today.
His involvement with the ABC included producing This Day Tonight during the 1970s and presenting Backchat from 1986 to 1994. Backchat’s simple premise was Tim introducing audience letters about the ABC’s output on radio and television.
Tim Bowden recalled to the NFSA that viewers quickly discovered that the show was a place for their letters of complaint, praise, suggestions or questions about programs and policies. Only a small number of letters were chosen from the thousands the ABC would receive each year, although, amazingly, it was ABC policy was to reply to every letter sent.
Other productions included Prisoners of War – Australians Under Nippon, the 24-part series Taim Bilong Masta – The Australian Involvement with Papua New Guinea and 17 books including Aunty’s Jubilee! – Celebrating 50 years of ABC-TV.
ABC Managing Director David Anderson paid tribute to Bowden, saying:
“Tim was a correspondent based in Asia and North America during the turbulence of the 1960s and helped Australians understand the overseas events that were having such an impact on Australia and our neighbours in the region. Tim was part of the generation of ABC journalists who brought those events and their meaning into Australian homes every night.
In 1969 Tim was the first executive producer of the radio current affairs program PM, before becoming a producer with the ground-breaking television current affairs program This Day Tonight.
In 1975 Tim joined the ABC’s Radio Drama and Features Department and began making radio documentaries. In the mid-1980s he set up Radio National’s Social History Unit and presented radio documentary and feature programs, Talking History and That’s History.
Tim was part of the fabric of the ABC for decades and made a huge contribution to the national public broadcaster and to the nation. He was generous to his colleagues and was known as much for his sense of humour as his passion for journalism and the ABC.
Our condolences go to Tim’s family and many friends and colleagues.”
Related report: ASRA Conference Tim Bowden speaks about 90 years of radio