You know how it is when you meet someone you really admire? At first, you don’t know what to say, you struggle to find the words, but then you find yourself in a conversation with them, and they weren’t as scary or whatever as you thought they would be.
Well, that’s how I found myself about 20 years ago when I met Caroline Jones, the legendary broadcaster.
I’m a little too young to remember her from 2BL and the “City Extra” days (and because I lived in the country) but I certainly remember her hosting “Four Corners”. It was compulsory viewing at 1pm on a Sunday in my childhood home.
And then years later, I remember loving hearing her Radio National program, “The Search for Meaning”, and more recently, from her appearances on “Australian Story”.
I was so sad to hear on Friday tonight that Caroline Jones had died.
I interviewed her many years ago, and this is one of my prized possessions: a signed copy of her autobiography.
I always thought of her as a broadcaster of great integrity. I’ll happily admit to being a little daunted to meet her, but I found her natural warmth quickly allowed me to relax.
It meant a lot for her to thank me for a “fine interview”.
There’s also a great line in this book, “An Authentic Life” which I often quote in which she declares, and I’m paraphrasing, that for many years people have thought that “seeing is believing”, however now an increasing number of people also recognise that “believing is seeing”.
I ran this radio segment on “Editor’s Choice” today. https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/editorschoice/caroline-jones/13892614
2 responses to “Caroline Jones”
It was quite a shock and such a loss. She was perhaps the most important woman in Australian media. I’ve saved the broadcast to listen to later.
So many people are commenting about her role as mentor.