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From: "Becky Horne" <>
Subject: [ZA-EC] Newspaper cuttings from the Eastern Cape - RYAN
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 07:34:05 +0200


Herald, 3 January 2005
Popular, veteran broadcaster Audrey Ryan dies
By Guy Rogers

VETERAN broadcaster Audrey RYAN, who was renowned for her engaging
interviews on a range of SABC magazine programmes, has died. She was 77.
Born in Kenya, RYAN grew up in East London and went to school in
Grahamstown. She began her broadcasting career in 1952 at the SABC's
Grahamstown headquarters, and was part of their team when they relocated
to Port Elizabeth in 1974.
Guided by her philosophy that "the mike never lies", and that listeners
will always pick up genuine interest and friendliness, she regularly
bagged quality interviews for programmes like Women's World and Audio
Mix on what was then Radio South Africa.
Former colleague Bob LAW said yesterday that he remembered RYAN as
"always full of fun and laughter".
"She was also very good at what she did. She had a great ability to put
the person she was interviewing at ease, and then spent many hours
afterwards editing to make sure it sounded as good as possible. She got
fabulous interviews.
"People of my generation will remember her with a great deal of
affection."
Some of the best of her interviews came out of the 1968 floods that hit
Port Elizabeth. RYAN was still living and working in Grahamstown, but
had been visiting friends in Port Elizabeth on the Sunday the disaster
struck, and was on the spot with her tape recorder.
Adventurous, arty and a natural performer, she cycled in 1952 with her
two sons from Holland to Italy. She played the jazz piano - and was an
excellent mimic of animal noises.
A lay minister, she retired in 1990 to focus (when she was not doing
inserts for SAFM's Women Today) more on her painting. She sold her work
at Art in the Park to supplement her finances in her later years.
Many of her pieces focus on Schoenmakerskop, where she lived in
playwright Athol FUGARD's old house in Salix Lane.
One of these paintings hangs in the Laubscher Park frail care centre in
Walmer where she lived for several years. After Laubscher Park, she
moved to Munro Kirk Frail Care Centre in South End. She died there on
December 29.
She is survived by her sons Christopher, who lives in Johannesburg, and
Ryan, who lives in Tanzania, and three grand-children. The funeral is to
take place today at 11am, at the St Nicholas Anglican Church in Charlo, Port
Elizabeth.

Best wishes
Becky

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