Beloved television and radio presenter Peter Waltham has died at 83

Legendary television and radio presenter Peter Waltham has died at 83. A fan paid tribute to him on Facebook and wrote: “I am so saddened to hear of the passing of Peter Waltham (Pierre, as he liked to call himself). I have been missing his daily morning programme, and will always miss those 3 hours spent with him, where I learned so much and always said he played the BEST music (my taste in music!) He was a font of knowledge and never ever boring!”

Australian broadcaster Peter Waltham worked at Seven, Channel 9 and was also on Curtin Radio for more than 25 years. Curtin Radio paid tribute to Peter on Facebook and wrote: “Curtin FM 100.1 and Curtin University are deeply saddened by the passing of Peter Waltham- a cherished colleague, friend and veteran broadcaster who made an extraordinary contribution to Western Australia's media landscape.”

The tribute also read: “Peter’s broadcasting career began in the 1960s and spanned more than five decades. He was one of the original newsreaders at Channel 7 Perth, and a familiar voice to many on radio. For the past 25 years, Peter found a home at Curtin FM Radio, presenting the much-loved Down Memory Lane and Mornings programs- bringing music, stories and warmth to generations of loyal listeners.”

The tribute ended with these words: “On behalf of Curtin FM and Curtin University, we extend our deepest condolences to Peter’s family, friends, colleagues and listeners.

“Vale Peter- and thank you.”

Former Seven reporter Alison Fan told The West Australian that “I worked with him when I first started at Seven in the 1970s and he was a great help introducing me to TV, coming from a newspaper background.” She also said: “He was always protective and a gentleman and I was very saddened to hear he had died.

“Peter was a fantastic newsreader and one of the first who could ad lib — you weren’t able to tell when something had gone wrong.”