Frank Torley

Francis Desmond Torley (28 February 1941 – 27 March 2016) was a New Zealand television reporter and producer, best known for his work on Country Calendar spanning almost 50 years.

Early life and family Born in Dunedin on 28 February 1941, Torley was raised there and in Timaru and Auckland, where he was educated at Sacred Heart College. He was a farm worker for three years after leaving school, before joining Wright Stephenson as a stock and station agent.

Broadcasting career In 1966, Torley joined the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation in Palmerston North as a rural reporter covering central New Zealand, and made his first contribution to Country Calendar the following year. He continued working on radio and on Country Calendar until 1975, despite moving to Christchurch in 1970. Following the restructuring of the NZBC in 1975, Torley spent 18 months as a newsreader on television in Christchurch, and then became a reporter and director for Country Calendar, based in Wellington. After training as a producer, he became the producer of Country Calendar and head of TVNZ's rural programmes unit in 1981. As well as Country Calendar, Torley produced A Dog's Show, Agri-Tech 2000, and the Young Farmer of the Year finale shows.

In 2005, Torley was replaced by Julian O'Brien as producer of Country Country, becoming the programme's executive producer, while continuing to report and direct items until 2014. He finally retired as the show's narrator in early 2016.