Famous Australian radio star who rose to fame in the 1970s with her talkback show dies at the age of 95
Beloved Australian broadcaster Nan Witcombe has died aged 95.
Witcombe is known to a generation of radio listeners in Adelaide and rose to fame in the 1970s with a talkback show on 5DN (now Cruise 1323).
She was also the author of a series of popular poetry collections, The Thoughts of Nanuska.
Witcombe died in her sleep at her nursing home in Brighton and Adelaide on Friday Advertiser reports that she left no children and never married.
In addition to her long career on radio, Witcombe, who had a reputation for being quick-witted, wrote sketches for the groundbreaking Australian satirical TV comedy The Mavis Bramston Show, which ran from 1964 to 1968.
Beloved Australian broadcaster Nan Witcombe (right) has died aged 95
Known to a generation of radio listeners in Adelaide, Witcombe rose to fame in the 1970s with a talkback show on 5DN (now Cruise 1323) after a long career as a flight attendant with Ansett Airlines (pictured in the 1950s)
She also wrote four full-length plays for the stage, all of which were produced in Adelaide.
Witcombe also wrote lyrics, including some songs for her friend, actress Lorrae Desmond, of A Country Practice fame.
Before entering show business, Witcombe trained as a nurse and then joined Australian National Airlines (which became Ansett) in 1950 as a flight attendant, working for the company for 23 years.
She later co-hosted her 5DN Adelaide talkback show with Ken Dickin, which ended in the 1980s.
She was also the author of a series of popular poetry collections, The Thoughts of Nanuska. Witcombe died in her sleep at her Brighton nursing home on Friday, and the Adelaide Advertiser reports she left no children and never married
Her poem To Mourn Too Long for Those We Love was read at Michael Hutchence’s funeral in 1997 as one of the tributes to the tragic singer (Hutchence pictured in 1983 with INXS)
Witcombe was also known as the hostess of a popular 1970s nightspot in Adelaide, The Barn restaurant in McLaren Vale.
Witcombe, author of several self-published books of poetry, gained national attention decades later.
Her poem To Mourn Too Long for Those We Love was read at INXS frontman Michael Hutchence’s funeral in 1997 as one of the tributes to the tragic singer.
She also wrote a memoir about her years in the airline industry, Up Here and Down There.