Tony Charlton

Antony Erling Charlton, AM (28 March 1929 – 17 December 2012) was an Australian radio and television sports broadcaster.

Early life Charlton's parents were both from New Zealand.

His father, Conrad, was a baritone opera singer, who worked with the prominent theatre company of J.C. Williamson's, who became a radio broadcaster and station manager of the ABC, who had served in World War I and was wounded during the Battle of the Somme.

Tony following his elder brother, journalist Michael Charlton, was born in Sydney. and was educated at Scotch College, Perth, where he captained the First XI cricket team. He later joined John Clemenger Advertising to host the London Stores Football Show and The Kia-Ora Sports Parade, broadcast on 3UZ and 3KZ respectively.

Television broadcasting Charlton moved to Channel 9 to cover the 1956 Summer Olympics. In the same year he presented more than 300 two-minute radio interviews with Melbourne identities, targeted at a national American audience. These broadcasts, commissioned by the Victorian Promotion Committee were aired on the NBC radio program Monitor. The following year he joined Channel 7 as a commentator for the first televised Victorian Football League matches. One of the most memorable interviews on the program was with an emotional Norm Smith, following his sacking as coach of the Melbourne Football Club. The program, Interview with Tony Charlton, was broadcast nationally on Sunday nights with the subjects including British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and actor Gregory Peck.

Charlton covered a diverse range of major sports events. His commentary was described by sports journalist Martin Flanagan as "slightly ornate" but with "sincerity [that] compelled attention", and delivered with "elegant diction".

Notable televised events that Charlton hosted included the Royal Charity Concert for Queen Elizabeth II at the Sydney Opera House in 1980, a broadcast from Gallipoli for Australia Live in 1988, the VP Day 50th anniversary in 1995 and the Caltex Sports Star of the Year over a period of 30 years.

For more than 25 years, Charlton was MC for Anzac Day ceremonies at the Shrine of Remembrance. He actively supported a number of charities, including the Alfred Hospital Foundation (chairman and life governor), the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Melbourne Legacy, the Australian Olympic Team fund, the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Cancer Council Victoria, the Australian War Memorial appeal, the Shrine of Remembrance restoration appeal and Odyssey House.

In 1969 The Australian Women's Weekly reported that he was training to be a pilot and was the owner of two restaurants. Tony owned the Flight Deck on Toorak Rd in South Yarra. Theme based restaurant on a Boeing 727 with views of cities from all around the world.

Charlton died on 17 December 2012 at the age of 83 from bowel cancer.

Honours He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1990.

In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal.

In 2003 he was upgraded within the Order of Australia to Member level (AM), "for service to the community through the organisation and promotion of fundraising events to support a range of health, research, rehabilitation and veteran groups in Australia".

In 2011 he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.