Australian media pioneer Vaughan Hinton died in August this year at the age of 91, and reports of his death only recently became public.
The legendary reporter died in the small Victorian town of Monbulk in the Yarra Ranges after a long health battle.
He was an all-rounder and worked as a journalist, presenter, producer and writer during his fifty-year career.
Hinton was born in Toowoomba, Queensland in 1933 and began his esteemed career as a journalist with a regional newspaper in the mid-1950s.
The media personality always had a strong interest in promoting social justice issues.
In 1977 he joined ABC Radio as a presenter, where he was able to speak on a range of topics that were important to him.
Australian media pioneer Vaughan Hinton (pictured) died in August this year at the age of 91, and reports of his death only recently became public.
An early advocate for Australia’s LGBTQ community, Hinton was instrumental in ensuring Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was broadcast on the ABC and helped air it for the first time in 1994.
He also worked on the program as an executive producer and it was a huge success, with his colleagues at the network later congratulating him on attracting a then-record 2.5 million viewers.
The passionate broadcaster continued to work with the ABC throughout the 1980s and in 1986 was appointed the network’s executive producer for all major national events and Indigenous affairs.
The following year he created the long-running ABC lifestyle program Compass, which openly discussed spirituality, ethics and values.
The program continues to this day and is currently hosted by Indira Naidoo.
He was also a TV host on the critically acclaimed 1970s ABC series Man in Question, in which he interviewed high-profile personalities and asked them tough questions.
Hinton was also the director of two critically acclaimed shows exploring the lives of indigenous people.
The programs – The First Australians and Blackout – featured Aboriginal people discussing relevant issues.
The legendary reporter died in the small Victorian town of Monbulk in the Yarra Ranges after a long health battle
He was an all-rounder who worked as a journalist, presenter, producer and writer during his fifty-year career.
He retired in 1997 but continued to work on small projects until 2003, when he moved with his family to regional Victoria.
Sydney Mayor Clover Moore paid tribute to Hinton at a public meeting.
“Vaughan wrote that his life was defined by walking through doors that did not reveal what was behind them,” Moore said.
“What has been revealed about us as Australians through his many programs is his legacy.”
In recognition of his long service to the Australian media, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2004.
He survived his wife Elizabeth by several years.
Hinton is survived by his long-term partner Kym, daughters Nicola and Caroline, and several children and great-grandchildren.