#SirEricPearce died in a nursing home in 1997, at the age of 92, surviving heart surgery by nine more years.

What an incredible long life this pioneer of Australian TV news had lived, and it seems such a shame that Geoff won’t quite be reaching that grand age 💔

#TheNewsreader

#SirEricPearce did not like how reliant he was on others, and the fact that regular everyday things he had been doing for years were now tiring.

“I’m being bullied into a reliance on others - a situation I do not enjoy and one I hope I won’t have to endure for too much longer.”

#TheNewsreader

In the 1980s, #GeoffWalters was struggling with his heart, and so was #SirEricPearce, as discovered in this #NewIdea magazine from 17/09/1988.

Sir Pearce was recovering from heart surgery, and was said to be frustrated by losing his independence, just like Geoff.

#TheNewsreader

#SirEricPearce (1905 - 1997) was a trailblazing English-Australian journalist. He was a radio broadcaster who was employed as a television newsreader in 1956, and just like our fictional Geoff, he is considered to be a founding father of TV news in Australia.

#TheNewsreader