| Ormsby Wilkins | |
| Birth Date: | 6 March 1916 |
| Birth Place: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Death Place: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Station: | 2UE, 2GB, 3AW |
| Style: | talk |
Ormsby Cecil Wilkins (6 March 1916 - 18 February 1976) was an Australian radio presenter.[1]
He is most notable for being the first person in Australia to take talkback calls when the format was made legal in 1967.[2] [3]
Wilkins' career began with the United States Information Service where he worked for a number of years before moving into journalism in 1949.[4] Initially working for The Daily Mirror, he went on to work for The Daily Telegraph and The Argus.[1]
Wilkins made the move to radio in 1963.[1] Throughout his career, Wilkins worked at 2UE and 2GB in Sydney and Melbourne's 3AW.[1]
Various attempts at talkback radio in Australia had occurred, dating back to 2BL's experiment in 1925.[2] [5] Stations 3AK and 2UW had also both tried it in 1963.[2] However, every attempt was quickly abandoned due to strict broadcasting and telecommunications regulations stipulating that the broadcast of telephone conversations on radio was illegal.[2] Just after midnight on 17 April 1967, Wilkins took the first legal talkback calls on Australian radio after the restrictions were lifted.[2]
One of the most notable moments of his radio career came in 1974. During a phone interview with Russell Kelner, the operations manager of the Jewish Defense League, agents from the FBI suddenly stormed into Kelner's office in New York to conduct a raid and placed him under arrest.[6] The commotion of the raid and the arrest of Kelner was clearly audible over the telephone line with Kelner telling Wilkins: "We are in a raid right now by the FBI. I have to hang up. We are all under arrest."[6] The arrest came after death threats were levelled against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.[6]
In August 1975, Wilkins used his 2GB program to describe Australian businesswoman Junie Morosi as an "immoral adventuress who has slept with a variety of notable politicians".[7] This prompted Morosi to launch legal action against 2GB and Wilkins.[7] She was awarded $10,000 in damages after it was found Wilkins had deliberately imputed Morosi as an undesirable, immoral and promiscuous woman who had misconducted herself with her employer.[7]
Wilkins enjoyed an amicable relationship with the Jewish community in Australia who held him in high regard.[8] [9] He was regularly invited to speak at various functions.[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Wilkins was outspoken on a number of issues. He openly criticised organisations such as the Melbourne Club for their policy not to admit Jews.[15]
He criticised the Federal Government's decision to allow South Africa to send an all-white football team to Australia for the 1971 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia.[16] He described Australia's international image being vulnerable due to the White Australia policy and the poor treatment of Indigenous Australians.[16]
Ormsby Wilkins died at the age of 59 on 19 February 1976 following a battle with lung cancer for which he underwent an operation in November 1975.[17] [1]