Roger Climpson
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Roger Climpson OAM (born October 18, 1931) is a British-born Australian journalist and newsreader, best known for his journalism on Seven News in the 1980s and 1990s and for his hosting duties on various shows from 1977 until 1998.
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[edit] Early life
Roger Climpson was born on October 18, 1931 in Peterborough, England. The son of a butcher, Climpson aimed to become a pilot in the Royal Air Force, until a rugby union accident at the age of 14 punctured his lung, leading him to take up acting instead of flying. He emigrated to Australia in 1949, and met his future wife Claire at a Christmas party in 1952.[1]
[edit] Television career
Climpson began his television career in 1957, working at Channel Nine as an announcer, weatherman and newsreader. He got the job at Nine after asking his friend Brian Henderson to have a word with the head of the network, Bruce Gyngell. During his time at Nine, he hosted two programs of his own: Rendezvous with Roger and The House and Garden Show.[1]
He left Channel Nine in 1965 after chairman Sir Frank Packer refused to grant him a five pound pay rise.[2] Climpson found himself briefly unemployed and worked at his father's butcher shop, until he was asked to fill a temporary newreader role at Channel Seven – where he stayed for fifteen years.
In 1977, he began hosting This Is Your Life until returning to newsreading in 1978. In 1982, Climpson retired from television work, but returned to the station in 1989 as anchor of Sydney's Seven News, until a diagnosis of prostate cancer in 1995 forced his temporary retirement.[1]
In 1997, he was host of Australia's Most Wanted, which lasted until 1998 when he retired from television.
[edit] Radio career
In 1977, he was a presenter in the afternoon shift on Sydney's 2GB, which lasted for several years.
In recent years, Climpson has been heavily involved in Christian radio, and since 1995 has been chairman of Sydney Christian radio station HEART 103.2.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Rodgers, Andrew: Roger Climpson: This Is Your Life, 21 November 1996.
- ^ 50 years of television, Sunday (Nine Network), September 25, 2005.
