4 minute read
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Ian Doyle
Max Tomlinson
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Top-rating Channel 7 Adelaide newsreader Jane Doyle with husband Ian and their son Henry
Former Ayr High School Captain Ian Doyle OAM (B.Ec., Dip.Ed.) now lives in busy semi-retirement in South Australia following a stellar career in the media and a lifelong involvement in community affairs. Ian’s contribution to the media and the organisations he has been involved in led to the award of an Order of Australia Medal in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Ian, son of the late truck driver Roy and Blue Nurse Betty (nee Miller) Doyle of Lawson Street East Ayr, made a nostalgic return to his alma mater earlier this year – the 50th anniversary of his graduation. After leaving Ayr High School in 1971, Ian studied Economics at James Cook University and added a Diploma in Education qualification from Queensland University. He then taught at Blackheath and Thornburgh College in Charters Towers for five years where he met his future wife, fellow Charters Towers schoolteacher Jane Buckley. The couple shared an interest in journalism and gained valuable experience at The Northern Miner newspaper in Charters Towers. This experience led to Ian’s decision to join the ABC. After Ian and Jane were married, they elected to further their careers by moving to South Australia where both their careers blossomed. Ian’s radio and TV skills led to a rapid rise in responsibilities, presenting and reporting for programs such as ABC TV’s Countrywide and Landline, the Country Hour, Australia All Over, Tony Delroy’s Nightlife, ABC TV and Channel 7 weather, 1395 5AA Mornings, ABC Early Mornings and 891 ABC Adelaide’s breakfast program. Ian’s wife Jane Doyle’s career also took off. She has been anchoring Channel 7’s top-rating news program since 1989 and is consistently voted South Australia’s most popular TV personality. Ian’s career at the ABC led to promotion to the post of Executive Producer of the South Australian Rural Department, acting State Manager ABC Radio and Television and acting Head of ABC Rural nationally. In 1997, Ian resigned from the ABC to establish a media production and consulting company, Doyle Media Services SA Pty Ltd. DMS has completed several TV documentaries for the Seven Network’s World Around Us program, SBS’s Global Village and ABC TV’s Landline program. The documentaries include Last Mail From Birdsville – the Story of Tom Kruse (1999) and the Centenary of Federation’s Source to Sea - the Story of the Murray Riverboats (2001). The Back of Beyond Collection (2004) about the life of legendary outback mailman Tom Kruse MBE was launched on Saturday July 24th 2004 in Marree on the 50th anniversary of the release of The Back of Beyond at Marree in 1954. DMS produced the one-hour story Three Men & A Boat – the MFV Tacoma Story (2013). It was aired by ABC Landline. The documentary tells the story of Australia’s pioneering tuna fishing vessel, the Port Lincoln-based MFV Tacoma. The documentary has been provided to the Tacoma Preservation Society (TPS) as a fundraiser. The TPS is the group responsible for maintaining the vessel and celebrating its contribution to this country’s maritime and fishing history. Since 2014, as a volunteer, Ian has been advocating on behalf of the TPS with the Port Lincoln Council and the State Government to construct an appropriate berth for the vessel in the Port Lincoln Marina in recognition of the significant contribution the vessel has made to Port Lincoln and South Australia. Ian co-chaired the publicly funded Tom Kruse Bust Appeal from 2008 to 2010. The Appeal resulted in commissioning five lifesized bronze busts of the legendary dam sinker and Birdsville Track mailman. DMS conducts regular one-on-one and group media training courses for both the government and corporate sectors and is involved in organizing major events such as the endurance horseriding event, the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, and the 15th IFOAM World Organic Congress in 2005. DMS consults to the Charles Hawker Memorial Scholarship Trust Fund. Since 2000 Ian has facilitated the launch, promotion and presentation of the C.A.S. Hawker Scholarship. During Ian’s visit to Ayr High School earlier this year, he took the opportunity to address students about the benefits associated with the Hawker Scholarship. Ian is highly regarded by his peers in the media. He has been President of Rural Media South Australia (RMSA),Vice President of the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ) and was a significant contributor to the co-ordination the International Federation of Agricultural Journalist (IFAJ) World Congress in Australia in 2000. Ian has been happily married to Channel 7 News Presenter Jane Doyle for 41 years. Jane and Ian have a son, Henry, who works in hospitality and media after having completed an Arts degree at Adelaide University in 2020. Ian’s many awards include the Dalgety Farmers Limited South Australian Award for Excellence in Rural Journalism, the Dalgety Farmers Limited National Award for Excellence in Rural Journalism, the Sir Condor Laucke Award for his contribution to the South Australian Grains Industry, the Telstra Bigpond Rural Online Journalist of the Year Award and life membership of Rural Media SA. He is a regular visitor to Townsville, the Burdekin and Charters Towers to catch up with friends and family. Ian, who is a sought-after MC and after-dinner speaker, enjoys stimulating and intelligent conversations with interesting people, hitting a golf ball and sipping the occasional glass of outstanding South Australian Shiraz wine.
