AUSTRALIA: NEWS HOST JAMES DIBBLE DIES

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James Dibble presenting the first news bulletin on ABC TV in 1956, from Wikipedia

CATH NEWS REPORT- James Dibble, the ABC newsreader who lent his voice to everything from a series of sex-education programs for Catholic schools to a surrealist radio play to a Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority documentary, has died from cancer, reports theSydney Morning Herald.

Mr Dibble, who presented ABC TV's first news bulletin, was 87. After that bulletin on November 5, 1956 - and the first words, ''Stand by for the opening night of the national television service'' - Dibble went on to read the news for 27 years.

''For many generations of Australians, James Dibble was the face and voice of the ABC,'' the organisation's managing director, Mark Scott, said last night. ''He was the figure of trust that we all turned to at 7 o'clock, bringing in the great events of the world and the great events of Australia.''

Dibble was famous for his refusal to use an autocue, glancing instead at a sheaf of notes in front of him. He has been praised for his crisp diction and rounded vowels - sounding both distinctly Australian and unpretentious.

In 1969, he was awarded an MBE for his services to media. In 1989, he became a member of the Order of Australia for services to media and the community.

The son of bakers in Newtown, Sydney, he attended St Brigid's Primary School and De La Salle College, Marrickville.

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=24519