Sir Talbot Sydney Duckmanton (25 October 192112 June 1995) was an Australian broadcaster and

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

administrator. As general manager of the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

he oversaw the advent of

colour television Color television or Colour television is a television transmission technology that includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improves on the monochrome or black-and-white t ...

ABC Classic FM ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. I ...

and

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

Early life

The son of Sidney James Duckmanton and Rita Margaret Hutchins, Duckmanton was born in

South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popu ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

.The Independent, 17 June 1995
/ref>

Newington College

Duckmanton attended Fort St High and then won a scholarship to

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = A ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

1934–1938. He became a state champion schoolboy athlete and as a rower stroked the Newington 1st Eight. The Drama Centre at Newington is named in his honour. In his final year he was a Prefect and Dux winning the Schofield Scholarship.

Broadcasting career

He began his career as a cadet announcer at the ABC in

in 1939 and had a wide ranging career working as a news announcer and sporting broadcaster. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Duckmanton saw active service in New Guinea in the 2/17th, as a RAAF pilot and was later a war correspondent. From 1952 until 1954 he was the Assistant Manager of the Brisbane office. He was deputy general manager of the organisation 1964–65, and general manager from 1965 until his retirement in 1982. It was rumoured and is widely believed that Sir Talbot Duckmanton was responsible for choosing the ABC

post office box A post office box (commonly abbreviated as P.O. box, or also known as a postal box) is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office. In some regions, particularly in Africa, there is no door to door delivery ...

number 9994 in recognition of

Sir Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has be ...

's batting average of 99.94. However this only became the ABC's box number in 1983, after Duckmanton's retirement. There is as yet no published evidence that the connection between the box number and Bradman's average was intentional.

Other offices

Talbot Duckmanton was president of the

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU or APBU), formed in 1964, is a non-profit, professional association of broadcasting organisations. It currently has over 287 members in 57 countries and regions, reaching a potential audience of about 3 bil ...

1973–77, and president of the

Commonwealth Broadcasting Association The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) is a representative body for public service broadcasters throughout the Commonwealth, founded in 1945. A not-for-profit non-government organisation, the CBA is funded by subscriptions from 102 mem ...

1975–82. From 1968 until 1973 he was chairman of the executive committee of Newington College Council.

ABC legacy

In a story published on 4 October 2004 on the ABC Brisbane (612AM) website, a task was set to find a name for the mascot of ABC Brisbane. In an article on the same website published on 27 October 2004, "Talbot" (in honour of Duckmanton) was declared the winner over the other candidate "Gabba" (a reference to the nickname of the

Brisbane Cricket Ground The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the G ...

in the suburb of

Woolloongabba Woolloongabba is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woolloongabba had a population of 5,631 people. Geography Woolloongabba is located south of the CBD. It contains the Brisbane Cricket Ground ('the Gabba') and t ...

Family life

He married Florence Simmonds in 1947 and had four children, Christine, Susan, Craig Talbot and Kim. Florence died in 1978. The following year he married

Janet Strickland Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...

, the Australian Chief Censor, but they separated two years later. His third marriage was to Carolyn Wright, an Englishwoman. This marriage also lasted only two years. He later remarried Janet Strickland.

Honours

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

1971 – In recognition of service as the general manager of the ABC *

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are ...

1980 – In recognition of service to broadcasting * The Duckmanton Drama Centre 2017 – In recognition of his service to Newington as an Old Newingtonian where he served on the College Council from 1964 to 1978 and as Chairman of the Council Executive from 1968 to 1973.

Bibliography

* Inglis, Ken S., ''This Is the ABC 1932 – 1983,'' Black Inc 2006 * Inglis, Ken S., ''Whose ABC? 1983 – 2006,'' Black Inc 2006

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duckmanton, Talbot 1921 births 1995 deaths Australian broadcasters Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Knights Bachelor Managing directors of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian World War II pilots People educated at Newington College Members of Newington College Council Australian Army soldiers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force officers Military personnel from New South Wales People educated at Fort Street High School