Valet to the King of ABC Sport, Wally Foreman.
A very sad day for me (and I'm sure many of you) in hearing that the voice of sport on ABC radio in Western Australia, and in some ways arguably amongst this State's greatest "sportsmen" for all that he has done in media and at WAIS, has left us for the great commentators box in the sky following a massive heart attack on Tuesday morning.
Across the sports, but particularly with cricket and Australian Rules, Wally was the master in conveying the action in a simple and un-bias manner.
For many years Wally was the one to bring the world of sport to me as I was driving around the station or on the highways, to keep me perhaps more informed than my city mates who chose to watch commercial TV.
The two hour special that was broadcast this afternoon with endless tributes from sport people, officials and listeners alike paid testament to what a great man Wally was and how giving and respected he was, especially in the bush and in the homes of older people.
I for one will greatly miss him "coming to my place" over the air waves and my thoughts and prayers are with his adored wife Lynne and kids in this tragic period.
Rest in Peace Wally and thanks for the many many memories :verysad:
ABC sport broadcaster Wally Foreman dies
Thursday, 2 November 2006. 16:06 (AWST)
Tributes have been pouring in for veteran ABC sport broadcaster Wally Foreman, who died in Perth on Thursday.
Mr Foreman, 58, suffered a massive heart attack while working out at a gym on Tuesday morning and was taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, where he was placed in a medically induced coma.
One of Australia's most experienced sport broadcasters, Mr Foreman worked in the media for more than 30 years.
He attended four Olympic Games and five Commonwealth Games and also called international cricket, AFL football and Davis Cup and Australian Open tennis.
Former Australian hockey captain and close friend, Ric Charlesworth, said Mr Foreman had left behind a legacy which could never be replaced.
"He was just omni-present and he was the most passionate person about sport and one of the most knowledgable person when it came to the ins and outs of almost every sport and every sporting occasion," he said.
"That was the great passion of his life."
Former Australian swing bowler and ABC cricket commentator, Terry Alderman, said Mr Foreman's humour in the cricket commentary box would be sorely missed.
"That's what live broadcasting is all about I suppose and Wal was just fantastic," he said.
"He's the oldest statesman and someone you could always talk to about sport and life itself."
The ABC's Western Australian state director Geoff Duncan said the loss of Mr Foreman would leave a massive hole in the local media.
"It's almost impossible to say what Wally meant to the ABC, in particular the ABC in Perth," he said.
"He's irreplaceable, a fine broadcaster, a fine journalist, a man of enormous experience and a very great mentor to a lot of people in broadcasting, not only in the ABC but in the commercial world."
ABC managing director Mark Scott has expressed his deepest sorrow at the loss of the renowned broadcaster.
Mr Foreman was also the inaugural director of the Western Australian Institute of Sport and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2003 for his services to sport.
He is survived by his wife Lyn and two sons, Glen and Mark.
