Graham White, the visionary broadcaster who was instrumental in shaping some of the ABC’s most beloved programs, died peacefully on Sunday aged 93.
During a celebrated career spanning more than three decades, White held several senior roles and helped create some of the public broadcaster’s most iconic shows.
His roles included head of rural broadcasting from 1953 and controller of TV programs from 1971.
In 1973, White was appointed general manager of ABC Television, and worked in the role for over a decade.
He began his career as a reporter and a producer/director, and in 1956 was one of the commentators calling the action from the MCG during the Melbourne Olympic Games, widely seen as a landmark moment in Australian television.
But it was his work behind the scenes that left the most enduring legacy.
Graham White, the visionary broadcaster who was instrumental in shaping some of the ABC’s most beloved programs, died peacefully on Sunday aged 93
White was influential in the establishment of the iconic Australian TV shows, Countdown, Rush, and perhaps most proudly, A Big Country.
Inspired by a Canadian series, he created the groundbreaking rural documentary program in 1968, which brought the lives and stories of outback Australians to city audiences.
Running until 1991, the award-winning show would later pave the way for Landline, which airs to this day.
‘A Big Country became a big hit… it painted country people larger than life,’ White later reflected in a memoir.
His daughter Leanne said the show was White’s crowning achievement.
White’s passion for regional Australia helped secure government funding for satellite services, ensuring even the most remote communities could access ABC programming.
Former colleague Ian Doyle paid tribute to White, revealing he was fundamental in bringing the beauty of regional Australia to the bigger cities.
‘He got the government to provide a satellite service, which then made the footprint even wider, giving the remotest areas of outback Australia TV,’ he said.
During a celebrated career spanning more than three decades, White held several senior roles and helped create some of the public broadcaster’s most iconic shows
Away from programming, White never shied from controversy.
While reporting on the Melbourne Markets, he uncovered a widespread racket where inflated prices were being charged to growers.
His refusal to promote the inflated prices was seen as a bold – and potentially dangerous – move, as it infuriated the scamming suppliers, but White never backed down.
In recognition of his long services to television, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1981.
The following year, he opened the first ABC Shop in Sydney, before later taking his expertise to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, working across South America and the Pacific.
White was renowned for his humility and passion for life and shortly before his passing, left a handwritten note for his family that read: ‘Enjoy life. Have no regrets.’
The veteran broadcaster died on September 21, surrounded by family, just weeks after passing his driver’s licence test.
