Sadly, we lost our long time friend and colleague, Robert Williams who passed away on May 22nd 2024, two days after his 91st birthday.
Robert was born in 1933 and had a condition that developed at birth which resulted in him being disabled all of his life. Robert was courageous and he was determined to enjoy life without complaining. He was one of the nicest people you could meet and always had a smile. We were lucky to have him with us for about 25 years at 96.5 Inner FM.
Rob loved the old MGM musical films and was an expert on the subject. He was known as “Mr MGM”. He was a great presenter with a lovely radio voice and hosted some wonderful programs such as Sentimental Favourites on a Sunday afternoon. Listeners were not aware that he was disabled and loved his shows. He was thrilled when David Miller rang back MGM film star Carleton Carpenter in Hollywood after an interview we did with him and David asked Carleton if he could spend a few minutes talking with Rob – It was a highlight of a lifetime for Rob.
Romance began to develop over the air waves with the love of his life Estelle and they soon married. They took a trip overseas – nothing could stop Rob. After Estelle passed, Rob lived alone for a time and then went into aged care.
We all hold memories of Robert Willaims – he was a very special person and we were all lucky to have known him.
Here are Rob’s memories in his own words when he retired from 96.5 Inner FM in 2017…..
It would be a big thrill for me to be able to meet up with the many celebrities from the stage, radio, and TV that would be asked to come in on Kevin’s programme.
A program which went to air each Thursday was a request programme called the P.A.N.C.H Hour for the patients at the old Preston and Northcote Community Hospital (P.A.N.C.H) compered by Andi Kauer who would later leave the programme for an army life. I took on hosting the P.A.N.C.H Hour, for several months and then I was given the opportunity to present a programme of my own and so Music For Pleasure was born in the latter part of 1994.
Carousel was a program that gave our listeners and members a chance to present a programme of their own, bringing along their selections and presenting the programme themselves while one of the station’s presenters would be on hand to do the panelling for them. Another memorable time was the many barbeques at the different member’s places. We often had the chance to be present at the Princess Theatre to see these big productions and then go backstage to meet with the artists. All these wonderful moments were made possible by Brett Bysouth.
So many wonderful moments I’ve had, at 96.5 Inner FM even meeting my wife Estelle.
Robert Williams
Rest in peace our dear friend.
Written by Kevin Trask
We believe it will be a private funeral service, but any further details will be posted here in the coming days.