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Alan Wilkie (weather presenter)

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Alan Wilkie
Born
Alan Douglas Wilkie

(1928-07-23)23 July 1928
Maryborough[citation needed], Queensland, Australia
Died10 July 2023(2023-07-10) (aged 94)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Alma materUniversity of Queensland (BSc)
Melbourne University[1]
Occupation(s)Meteorologist, radio and television weather presenter
Years active1950–2001
Known forBeing a television and radio weather presenter
Being the first television broadcast Weatherman in Australia
Television
FamilyRay Wilkie (brother) Ashley O’Dwyer née Wilkie (granddaughter)

Alan Douglas Wilkie (23 July 1928 – 10 July 2023) was an Australian meteorologist and radio and television weather presenter.[2]

Wilkie was the first weatherman on broadcast television in Australia.[3] He began in the first week the ABC opened in Sydney, later moving to commercial television at the Seven Network. Finally, he would become best known for his lengthy 25 year career as a Sydney-based television weather forecaster at the Nine Network during the tenure of news presenter Brian Henderson.[2][4]

Wilkie, along with his brother Ray Wilkie and others such as Mike Bailey presented the weather at a time, when many TV weatherman where professional and trained meteorologists, rather than simply presenters, complete with weather maps, black or white board markers in hand, magnets and pointers.[5]

Early life

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Wilkie was born on 23 July 1928 to William Wilkie and Daisy Isobel Lewis.[6] He grew up in Childers, Queensland, where his father worked at the nearby Isis Central sugar mill.[2][7]

From 1943, he attended Maryborough Boys State High School.[8]

After initially embarking on a career as a school teacher, Wilkie graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Science.[2]

Wilkie then attended Melbourne University where he did a post-graduate meteorology course.[2][9]

Career

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In 1950, Wilkie commenced working for the Bureau of Meteorology.[2] During his time at the bureau he was posted to Sydney, Melbourne and Woomera.[2][9]

At the insistence of the bureau, Wilkie auditioned for a role as a television weather presenter, upon the launch of the ABC TV's new Sydney television station ABN-2 in 1956.[9]

Wilkie spent three years at the ABC before leaving the role to become a quality controller for Rheem.[2]

Wilkie returned to television in 1968 after his wife told him of a newspaper advertisement placed by the Seven Network's Sydney station ATN-7 which was seeking a new weather presenter for its nightly news bulletin.[9]

In addition to being the weather presenter on the station's flagship evening news bulletin, Wilkie was also asked to deliver the weather on its new breakfast show Sydney Today.[10] Hosted by Bruce Webster and Patricia Lovell, with newsreader Geoff Stone, Sydney Today was launched in 1969 and subsequently became a national program in 1971 simply titled Today.[10][11]

Wilkie also delivered weather reports for radio stations including 2SM.[12]

In 1977, he was poached by the Nine Network's Sydney station TCN-9 to deliver the nightly forecasts on National Nine News.[13] Seven's attempts to convince Wilkie to stay with their network failed.[13]

Wilkie remained at Nine until his retirement in 2001.[4]

Upon Wilkie's retirement, the Nine Network indicated that they didn't intend to replace Wilkie with another weather presenter, instead preferring to have long time news anchor Brian Henderson read the weather from the news desk at the end of the bulletin.[4]

Personal life and death

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When Wilkie was aged 16, his mother Daisy Wilkie died in Maryborough at the age of 45 on 24 June 1945.[14]

His older brother Ray Wilkie OAM was also a meteorologist and television weather presenter, best known for his work at Network 10's television station in Brisbane.[15] Ray Wilkie died on 18 May 2023.[16]

Wilkie's engagement to Virginia Anderson was announced in August 1960.[17] They married at St Philip's Church in Sydney on 30 November 1960.[18] After their marriage, they purchased a house at Killara in 1961 where they lived until listing the property for sale in 1992.[19]

They eventually divorced and Virginia Wilkie died at the age of 75 on 5 May 2015.[20]

Wilkie died on 10 July 2023, a couple of weeks shy of his 95th birthday, and just under two months after his brother's death at 98.[21]

References

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  1. ^ Allen, Geoff (14 April 1969). "Weather man in the clear". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Chalmers, Gillian (9 February 1977). "Alan Wilkie: The reluctant television star". The Australian Women's Weekly. p. 12. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  3. ^ Sarah Gerathy. "Australia's first TV Weathermen Alan Wilkie, dies aged 94". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  4. ^ a b c Oliver, Robin (17 December 2001). "Fair-weather friends". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  5. ^ "A Change in the Weather". National Film and Sound Archive.
  6. ^ Dasey, Jason (14 June 1982). "Weather is not small talk - it's a very serious business". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 20. Retrieved 24 May 2023. Alan Wilkie, 53, Channel 9's weatherman...
  7. ^ "Obituary: Mrs. D. L. Wilkie". Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser. 25 June 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  8. ^ Queensland, Australia: School Admission Records 1860 - 1992. Queensland Family History Association. 2022. Name: Alan Douglas Wilkie; School: Maryborough Boys State High School; Date: 2 February 1943
  9. ^ a b c d Marshall, Valda (22 October 1972). "Into each life some rain must fall... even the weatherman's". The Sun-Herald. p. 108.
  10. ^ a b Allen, Geoff (20 January 1969). "Monday is now watching day". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 13. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  11. ^ Marshall, Valda (28 February 1971). "'Today' national". Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  12. ^ Plummer, Dale (18 August 1974). "Alan Wilkie joins 2SM". The Sun-Herald. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Talking of the weather". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 January 1977. p. 66. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  14. ^ "FAMILY NOTICES". Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser. 25 June 1945. p. 2. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  15. ^ Powell, Sian (16 May 1991). "Next week, the weather is likely to be Wilkie". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  16. ^ Howson, Spencer (21 May 2023). "Remembering Ray Wilkie". 4BC. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Virginia Anderson and Alan Wilkie announce engagement". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 August 1960. p. 18. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Mr and Mrs Wilkie". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 December 1960. p. 41. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  19. ^ Chancellor, Jonathan (4 July 1992). "Alan Wilkie lists Killara family home". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 73. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  20. ^ "WILKIE, Virginia Louise". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2023. Former wife of Alan. Partner of John.
  21. ^ Australian TV Fan (11 July 2023). "Alan Wilkie former weather reporter dies - news report". YouTube. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
[edit]
Preceded by
Position created
 National Nine News Sydney
Weather presenter
1977–2001 		Succeeded by
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