Geoff Raymond

Geoffrey Sinclair Raymond (1921 or 1922 – 4 January 2011) was an Australian television news presenter.

He is best remembered for his work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation where he anchored ABC News in Melbourne from 1973 to 1984.

Career Raymond began his career as a copy boy for Melbourne newspaper The Herald.

In 1956, Raymond was working at 3UZ as chief announcer where he was instrumental in establishing the station's news service.

After a brief stint at the BBC in England, Raymond returned to Melbourne to read the news on television station HSV-7 after Eric Pearce left the station to join GTV-9.

Throughout this period, he also played a role in HSV-7's coverage of sport, calling Victorian Football League matches alongside Michael Williamson between 1959 and 1962.

He then joined ATV-0 where he read the news from 1970 and also hosted his own weekly current affairs program The Raymond Report in 1971. Raymond said he hoped that his photos would in some way help relations between Israel and Egypt.

While at the ABC, he also appeared at various events such as the National Book Council awards dinner in St Kilda in 1980 and the Carols by Candlelight event at Caulfield in 1981.

Raymond retired from television in February 1984.

The appointment of Ralphe Neill as Raymond's successor was met with opposition from ABC staff and led to a 12-day strike. Thirty-four staff from ABC Television walked off the job on 13 July 1984 in protest of the way Neill had been appointed to replace Raymond, claiming the normal procedures for such appointments had not been followed. Staff from ABC Radio joined the strike a week later. In 1986, Raymond returned to Australia to manage the Ferntree Tavern near Mount Wellington in Tasmania.

Raymond died in England at the age of 89 on 4 January 2011. His death prompted various tributes from television identities including former colleague David Johnston.