James Dibble | |
|---|---|
 James Dibble reading the first news bulletin onABC TV, on 5 November 1956 | |
| Born | James Edward Dibble 4 February 1923 Newtown,New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 13 December 2010(2010-12-13) (aged 87) Narrabeen, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Television newsreader |
| Years active | 1946–1983 |
| Employer | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Known for | Presenter ofABC News Sydney |
James Edward DibbleAM MBE (4 February 1923 – 13 December 2010) was an Australian television presenter, at theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC), where he was the inaugural presenter of the news bulletinABC News Sydney, a role he held for 27 years, from Monday, 5 November 1956 until his retirement on Friday, 10 June 1983.
Dibble was born in February 1923[1] in Newtown, New South Wales.[2] He joined the ABC after the end of World War II. He started as a clerk in the accounts department. His voice soon attracted attention, and inCanberra he gained his first ABC job in radio doingvoice-overs.[3]
Dibble was best known as the senior newsreader forABC-TV, beginning with the first televised news bulletin onABN-2 Sydney on 5 November 1956. He reported the biggest news stories of the period, including theSoviet intervention in the Hungarian Revolution (in his very first bulletin; the events in Hungary caused the scheduled commencement of the ABC-TV news service to be brought forward), theassassination of John F. Kennedy (1963), the disappearance ofPrime MinisterHarold Holt (1967), theApollo 11 Moon landing (1969), the destruction ofDarwin byCyclone Tracy (1974), and thedismissal of the Whitlam government (1975).[2]
He appeared as himself in episodes of the ABC-TV comedy seriesOur Man In Canberra andOur Man In The Company episodes, narrated segments of theradiophonic works 'What's Rangoon To You Is Grafton To Me'(1978)[4] and 'Hot Bananas', written byRussell Guy and originally broadcast on radio station2JJ (Double Jay). Dibble also did voice-over work for manynewsreels, documentaries[5] and educational films.[5]
Spanning almost 30 years, his career at the ABC ended with his retirement in 1983. His last broadcast was on 10 June of that year.[2] However, in 1992 he returned to read the 8pm radio news from 1932 during a broadcast marking the 60th anniversary of ABC Radio.
Dibble was the son of Roland and Vera Dibble.[2] He attended school inMarrickville at St Brigid's Primary School and thenDe La Salle College. He served in the Pacific with theRoyal Australian Air Force during World War II as awireless telegraphist.[2]
Dibble never married or had children, but was described as a family-orientated man.[3]
He served as a chairman of the Peer Support Foundation,[6] a president[citation needed] of the Rotary Club of Warringah, and a member of Rotary International District 9680 Public Relations Committee.[citation needed]
Dibble was appointed a Member of theOrder of the British Empire (MBE) on 1 January 1972 for services to media,[7] and a Member of theOrder of Australia on 26 January 1989 for community and media services.[8] He was also awarded aCentenary Medal in 2001.[9]
He was the first winner of theBetter Hearing Australia Clear Speech Award in 1967, for his cleardiction. He also received Clear Speech Awards in 1968 and 1981.[3][10]
Dibble died of cancer in Sydney on 13 December 2010, aged 87.[2][11][3]
MBE
AM
Centenary Medal
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| Preceded by Program started | ABC News NSW presenter 1956–1983 | Succeeded by |
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