I wondered what 'the gap' was and found out it was some sort of cliff. Suicide has not been ruled out. If so, a very sad end to what has been an amazing career and life. I met Charmaine once covering a story in a local shopping centre before making the move to Sydney to cover the 5pm Perth News bulletin. Once again very sad loss
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ONE of the rising stars of commercial television is believed to have killed herself by jumping from The Gap, one of Sydney's most notorious suicide spots, just hours before she was due to go on air last night.
Charmaine Dragun, 29, was found dead at the bottom of the Sydney sea-cliffs yesterday after police received a number of calls from witnesses at about 4pm. Police are not treating the death as suspicious.
A number of Dragun's colleagues at the Ten Network's Sydney studios, who had been expecting her to arrive in time to read the daily Perth bulletin at 7pm AEST, said they were shocked and upset. "I've never experienced anything like this," said one Ten reporter who asked not to be named. "I keep thinking what I was doing at that time. I keep thinking maybe we should have done more, maybe we should have seen it.
"She was such a beautiful, vivacious girl, she had everything to live for. It just seemed she was on the way up.
"She would have known that she was due on air and we would have all been wondering where she was."
Another colleague said the newsroom was in a state of shock after Dragun's death was announced last night.
Her co-anchor on the Perth News at Five, Tim Webster, is understood to have gone to air without Dragun after a decision was made not to announce the death, at the request of her family. "She just seemed so bubbly and happy. There was no sign of anything. People are just trying to make sense of it all," the colleague said.
Ten chose not to report Dragun's death last night, out of respect for her family's privacy.
Dragun's death comes just a month after former West Coast Eagles star Chris Mainwaring, the sports reporter for the Seven Network in Perth, died of a heart attack after taking drugs.
Dragun graduated from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts before beginning her career as a radio journalist in Perth. After moving to Ten, she worked as a court reporter and began filling in as the Ten News summer presenter, eventually moving to Sydney to present the Perth evening news and Ten's Late News on Fridays.
Ten chief executive Grant Blackley said Dragun's death had deeply upset many across the organisation.
"We are all in a state of shock and sadness at this terrible news. Charmaine was a highly intelligent, vibrant and caring person, universally liked and admired by her colleagues," he said. "Our deepest sympathies go to her partner, Simon, and her family."
A relative of Dragun, who asked not to be named, said last night the family could not understand what had happened to her.
"Our families were close, when the kids were growing up they were always in each other's houses but there's been no explanation. It's a terrible shock," she said.
Dragun's parents, Michael and Estelle, could not be contacted last night.
NEWSREADER Charmaine Dragun's fiance has penned a heart breaking tribute to "the love of his life" as shock at her suicide continued to resonate today.
Shattered Simon Struthers was due to marry his girlfriend of 13 years at a joint thirtieth birthday party in March next year.
"To my beautiful Char," Mr Struthers wrote in a tribute in a Perth newspaper yesterday.
"You are the love of my life, my best friend and my angel.
"I will always love you and you will be forever in my heart. You brought light and true happiness to my life and I will cherish every moment we shared.
"Be in peace now gorgeous one."
Mr Struthers, a police forensic investigator, signed his loving tribute: "Love always and forever, Simon."
Dragun's parents Michael and Estelle wrote to their "beautiful angel" of the pride and joy she brought them.
"Our beautiful ray of sunshine who brought us so much love, joy and pride," Mr and Mrs Dragun wrote in the tribute in The West Australian.
"We will miss you darling and we will see you again one day. May you be in peace and keep the other angels singing in Heaven."
Amongst the tributes for the Channel 10 Perth newsreader was one from her grandfather. "My darling Charmaine, you have taken a large slice of my heart with you, someday I'll deliver the remaining piece," he wrote.
"Rest in peace until I arrive. I love you so much, Pop."
Dragun's family and close friends have spoken of the private battle she had fought with depression but how her lasting legacy would be the joy she brought to others.
They said, in a statement released this week, that she had been an optimist whose enthusiasm for life and vibrant nature were infectious.
The statement said she had been reluctant to burden loved ones with her struggle with depression.
"Her optimism was evident in the plans she was making for the future. A lover of music she had bought concert tickets to Bjork on the morning of the day she died," the statement said.
"Charmaine had also started making plans for her family to visit Sydney during the summer, and was looking forward to again spending time with them, especially her favourite nephew Ayden.
"It's important people know Charmaine wasn't a negative or needy person and never wanted to be the victim. If anything, her selfless interest in others and their lives is how many will remember her."
Dragun was due to read Perth's 5pm news bulletin hours after she died at The Gap in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs on Friday.
"In such tragic circumstances there will always be a search for answers," the statement said.
"While her death was defined by depression, her life was defined by love."
VETERAN WA sports broadcaster George Grljusich has lost his battle with cancer.
The 68-year-old, who last month announced he was diagnosed with advanced lung and bone cancer, passed away overnight.
Often controversial and always colourful, Grljusich became an icon of Perth radio, working for the ABC and 6PR, where he ended his career.
During his 47-years, he covered six Olympic Games, 10 Commonwealth Games and called a huge range of sports from horse racing to football.
His farewell broadcast last month was typical Grljusich - opinionated, good humoured and entertaining.
He signed off with no regrets.
Today, 6PR General Manager, Declan Kelly announced Grljusich's death from the same radio studio in Perth.
"It is with great sadness that I wish to announce to all our listeners that George Grljusich passed away peacefully this morning at the St John of God hospice in Murdoch,'' Mr Kelly said.
"As we know, George was diagnosed with terminal cancer five weeks ago and he made his final broadcast with you on the 17th of October.''
He said the thoughts of everyone were with Grljusich's wife Judy and twin girls Jane and Caroline.
"The man will never be replaced.''
Friend and fellow radio personality Bob Maumill said it was just like his friend to die on Melbourne Cup day.
"I received a call early this morning and George was gone, he died at 2am,'' Maumill said.
"You knew about George and his punting, and how having George back your horse was like putting an extra 10 stone on its back.
"He once said to me: 'If I die on Melbourne Cup or before the Melbourne Cup at least I will break square'.
"It's a funny thing, George picked Purple Moon for the Melbourne Cup and you wouldn't want to know, it ran second.
"Well, that was fitting for George.
"Right up until the day he died, George was backing second place getters.''
In his final broadcast, Grljusich told listeners he had few regrets as he frankly discussed his life between replays of highlights of his long-career.
"I've got regrets from the point of view my own temperament at times has probably caused me to devolve into situations where there have been degrees of acrimony,'' Grljusich said at the time.
"Workwise, professionally, the major regret I have is probably the continual criticism I used to make about football umpires. That's never changed, the umpiring is as bad now as ever, but I must confess I mellowed a few years back.''
He said he was devastated to think of those he would leave behind - his wife and girls and people connected with his previous marriage.
However, Grljusich said he had faith, had come to terms with his own mortality and felt he would be going to join many friends and relatives.
Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
I only got a very very small glimpse of this in the news the other day.. and heard nothing of it past that point. Its so very sad - shes leaves behind a husband and family.
I grew up in Central West NSW. At the local TV station in Orange was a lovely journalist and news reader, named Peter Andren. Peter died on the 3rd November 2007. He was 61. Cancer of the Pancreas claimed his life. Peter left his partner and two sons from his marriage. Peter's marriage broke down quite a while ago and he divorced. He became reacquainted with his partner at a school reunion a few years back and this led to romance and love. In the last 11 years Peter had been an MP having been elected as an Independent in the 1996 election. He quit politics in October 2007. He was very popular and much loved. I, for one, cried when I learned of his cancer and more recently, his death.
My Grandmother Emma Susan (Susie) died on the 19th September 2007. She was 100 years and 4 months old! She lived in her own home alone until she was 92, having been widowed at 63 years of age. She moved into semi-care until she fell and broke her wrist a year or two later. She was then placed in a Nursing Home until she passed away. She celebrated her 100th birthday in May 2007 with a few close family. My grandmother, who my immediate family called 'Old Mum', received a letter of congratulations from Queen Elizabeth. She was a petite, hard working, healthy as a horse woman who I loved and still love, very much.
Rhodesia's Ian Smith dead Article from: Reuters November 21, 2007 07:45am
THE former leader of white-ruled Rhodesia, Ian Smith, has died in South Africa aged 88 after a long illness, media reports say.
A family friend told the Associated Press Mr Smith died at a clinic near the South African city of Cape Town, where he spent his final years.
Longtime friend Sam Whaley said Mr Smith had been ailing for some time and recently suffered a stroke.
To many white Rhodesians, he was a kind of idol - "good old Smithy"; to most blacks, his rule symbolised the worst of racial oppression.
Mr Smith defied the world in 1965 when he led a quarter of a million white Rhodesians in a unilateral declaration of independence from Britain rather than accept proposals for black-majority rule.
He remained prime minister until a guerrilla war forced him to accept a ceasefire and political settlement in 1979.
Elections were held the following year, when Rhodesia became the black-ruled republic of Zimbabwe, with Robert Mugabe as prime minister.
Mr Smith remained vocal in opposition to Mr Mugabe, even after the parliamentary seats reserved for whites were abolished in 1987.
We mourn today the passing of a man who took his fight for justice to the face of Big Business and won. His case has well illustrated the problems with the Australian legal system and the injustice meted out to ordinary people by political leaders (who ignored his plight) . . big business (who dragged the claim hoping he would die) and the legal system (that left the abuse of 'legal maneuvers' unchallenged).
By Robert Green in Florida December 01, 2007 11:42am DAREDEVIL Evel Knievel, who dodged death in spectacular motorcycle leaps and crashes in a life full of showmanship, died today at the age of 69.
Mark David Chapman (born May 10, 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas) is the man who shot and killed musician John Lennon on December 8, 1980 in New York City.
Before his trial began, Chapman was allowed to plead guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to a prison term of 20 years to life despite being diagnosed as delusional and possibly psychotic. He remains incarcerated at Attica Correctional Facility in New York, having been denied parole four times. His applications for parole have been opposed by Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, as well as a grassroots public campaign.
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