In my early 20s I visited Sydney and turned up at the 2JJ studio up William street, I didn't meet Chris then but other staff welcomed me and showed me around.
Much later I was working in ABC training and he attended a course on mainframe word-processing on Dec Vax computers. He said he thought I'd be good on radio and invited me to the studio. From there I was a regular guest for a while on Triple J with Stuart Matchett. We remained friends and he was always right up to date with technology and the issues it triggers in society.
The photo above was taken when Rob Garnsey and I visited his home in Bronte in 2016. I saw from some social media posts that he'd been unwell but it's a shock that we lost him.
The last instagram post is from Winter Feast at Dark Mofo in June.
Old days: that hair!
Looks like his Twitter account has stopped. He tweeted a selfie in hospital recently and I asked if he was ok.
Farewell CW.
There was a very well attended celebration of Chris. He was a positive influence on many people.
Wow, haven't lived in Oz since '77 and haven't heard of Chris Winter since. Was just reading some stuff on how the Nazis were financed and I remembered Chris doing a programme on JJ about how General Motors subsidiary Opel had allowed the Nazi war machine to obtain fuel for internal combustion from coal, and how GM was getting profits paid through Switzerland,and much more. Then I Google his name and find he died this very day!
ReplyDeleteLoved JJ soooo much. A radio station with REAL music that reflected what was being listened to in rages throughout Melbourne. And I liked Room to Move, with Chris doing way out programmes on stuff like rambetica which I had never even heard of, and have rarely heard of since. These were halcyon days.
A true great, by any standards. A real asset to any radio station that took popular music seriously as a cultural asset.
Used to listen to "Room To move" on 3LO, I think it was the first progressive music program on Australian radio. I have a recording of the first programme where Chris states the aims of the show.
ReplyDeleteThis once very young teenage boy used to love listening to "Room To Move" and the wonderful galaxy of music that Chris imparted with his trademark quiet and measured voice.There were a number of recorded concerts by key overseas performers: one was the 1974 Mothers of invention concert, beautifully introduced by Chris - and then discovered by me in a collector shop in Frankfurt many years later! A photo I would proudly frame and hang is the period picture of Chris that appeared on billboards around the time of "Room To Move": a purple hued poster photo (I remember seeing it on the sides of Sydney busses), with Chris sporting his finest Afro and looking very at one with the 1971 world. Completely classic - thank you Chris, for transforming my universe!
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