10.28 am, Thursday May 17 2012

Newsreader Naylor and wife die in fire

05:00 AEDT Mon Feb 9 2009
VIEWS: 0
| FLOCKS: 0
| comments0 comments so far
Brian Naylor and his wife Moiree were killed by the Kinglake bushfire.
Brian Naylor

The latest from
TOO SOON?
Whitney Houston's family get their own reality vTV show
MARIAH DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN!
Video: Diva slams Britney question

Former Nine and Seven network newsreader Brian Naylor and his wife Moiree died when Victoria's single deadliest bushfire, the Kinglake Complex, razed their property on Saturday.

Leave your tributes to Brian Naylor and his wife Moiree below.

Naylor, 78, and his wife had lived for many years at the property on Coombs Road, Kinglake West, where a fire front raced through on Saturday, killing 10 people in the tiny settlement of Kinglake West alone.

The property is close to the western edge of the heavily timbered Kinglake National park.

Their son Matthew, 41, was killed in an ultralight plane crash near the farm in May last year.

In a statement on Sunday evening, Naylor's lawyer John Beckwith, of Beckwith Cleverdon Rees, confirmed the couple had died.

"The family of Brian and Moiree Naylor are mourning the loss of their father, mother and grandparents in the tragic fire at Kinglake West," the statement said.

"They request that their grief and privacy be respected by the media at this time of great family distress."

Naylor was for decades a fixture in the loungerooms of many Victorians as the newsreader for the Seven and Nine Networks in a media career that spanned more than 40 years.

He started out as an announcer with now-defunct Melbourne radio station 3DB, switching to affiliated TV station HSV 7 in 1958.

There he hosted a series of programs, most notably the Young Talent Time forerunner Brian and the Juniors.

The variety program spawned talented youngsters including Debra Byrne, Jamie Redfern and Patti McGrath, now the wife of TV host Bert Newton.

In 1970, Naylor became the chief Melbourne newsreader at Seven.

He left to host the rival Nine Network's top-rating news service at GTV 9, before retiring to his property in November 1998.

Naylor finished each news broadcast with the catchphrase: "May your news be good news, and good night".

Friend and former colleague Tony Jones, who was covering the aftermath of the Kinglake bushfires on Sunday, said the scene in Coombs Road was horrifying.

"It was absolutely awful, and knowing that it was Brian's street, everyone just looked at each other and feared for the worst, because we had been trying to call him on his mobile all day, and I guess now we know why," he told the Fairfax Radio Network.

Nine Network news director Michael Venus described Naylor as a "consummate professional".

"He was the best (newsreader) I have ever seen, and I doubt in my lifetime if I will ever see anyone better," he told ABC Radio.

Sky News journalist and former colleague at GTV 9, John Gatfield, said the news would devastate many Victorians.

"He's somebody that everybody in Victoria will relate to," Gatfield said.

"They understand, even though they don't know anybody else and they have no other relatives affected, they understand the devastation of this fire in just that one family, that one person they used to watch every night, and that really does hit home, doesn't it?"

 

Most popular

 Carmen Smith dumped from The VoiceOne of the stars of The Voice will leave the show after it was deemed her performance in a Guy Sebastian video clip gave her an unfair advantage.
 Samantha Harris involved in fatal crashPolice are investigating a car crash that left Australian supermodel Samantha Harris' fiancé with spinal injuries and killed a 79-year-old man in Sydney on Saturday morning.
 Prince Philip shocks with lewd dress remarkGaffe-prone Prince Philip stunned fans at a public greeting by making a a lewd remark about a 25-year-old woman's dress.
 Hawk drops puppy from skyA California woman has taken a two-month-old puppy into her home after seeing it being dropped from the sky by a hawk.
 Michael Clarke weds in private ceremonyAustralian cricket captain Michael Clarke has married girlfriend Kyly Boldy at an intimate service.
 Dad cleared of raping two baby daughtersA prominent Los Angeles photographer falsely accused of raping his two baby daughters said he broke down and cried when he found out a court had cleared him of the alleged crime.
 AFL star Jurrah to face Alice courtMelbourne Demons star Liam Jurrah is due to appear in court in Alice Springs over allegations he took part in an attack on a 35-year-old man in Yuendumu.
 Paralysed woman controls robot arm with mindA paralysed woman in the US has been able to use her mind to control a robotic arm, thanks to nearly 100 electrodes implanted in her brain.
 Another man bashed in home invasionA 63-year-old man has been attacked with a baseball bat in the second home invasion in Sydney's west in two days.
 Zimbabwe MP drives off in motor show carA Zimbabwean politician is facing criminal charges after allegedly getting into a car on display at a motor show and driving off in it.
Be our fan on Facebook
Most Recommended
You need the latest version of Flash Player.
Enjoy the most vivid content on the web
Watch video without extra features
Interact with applications on your favourite sites
Upgrade now

page complete