OBITUARY
BRIAN JOHN COULTER
IT IS WITH AN OVERWHELMING SADNESS THAT I MUST INFORM YOU THAT BRIAN DIED AFTER SURGERY AT ST JOHN OF GOD HOSPITAL, SUBIACO, ON FRIDAY NIGHT.
TO SAY THAT HIS PASSING IS A SHOCK IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
HE ENTERED HOSPITAL LATE ON FRIDAY MORNING FOR WHAT APPEARED TO BE ‘TRICKY’ BUT NON LIFE-THREATENING SURGERY ON OR ADJACENT TO THE PANCREAS.
HIS PARTNER DR JENNY HART CALLED ME LATE ON FRIDAY AND SAID THAT THE OPERATION HAD GONE BADLY AND THE SURGICAL TEAM WAS UNABLE TO STEM PROFUSE BLEEDING. BRIAN DIED AROUND 10pm.
BRIAN HAS BEEN WORKING ON AND OFF IN A CONSULTANCY ROLE WITH SATTERLEY FOR THE PAST SIX OR SEVEN YEARS, IN BETWEEN STINTS WITH THE PREMIER’S DEPARTMENT, OTHER STATE MINISTERS AND WOODSIDE.
BRIAN’S FATHER, JACK COULTER, DIED LAST YEAR AT AGED 94. HIS MOTHER EILEEN IS ABOUT 93 AND IN A CARE FACILITY BUT IN GOOD SHAPE.
SO YOU CAN SEE THERE IS LONGEVITY ON BOTH SIDES OF HIS LINEAGE.
LIKE HIS PARENTS, BRIAN ALWAYS SEEMED INDESTRUCTIBLE. THAT’S WHAT MAKES HIS DEATH EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT.
JACK COULTER WAS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST ACCLAIMED NEWSPAPERMEN, HAVING WON TWO NATIONAL GOLD WALKLEY AWARDS, SYMBOLISING SUPREMACY IN HIS PROFESSION.
BRIAN BEGAN HIS CAREER IN JOURNALISM AT THE GREAT SOUTHERN HERALD IN KATANNING-NARROGIN AND THEN MOVED TO THE NORTHAM ADVOCATE.
HE JOINED TVW 7 NEWS IN HIS EARLY ’20’s AND HAD AN OUTSTANDING CAREER AS A REPORTER, OCCASIONAL NEWSREADER, CHIEF OF STAFF AND NEWS EDITOR. HE WORKED AT SEVEN AND NINE IN PERTH AND SAS 10/7 IN ADELAIDE. HE WAS SENT ON OVERSEAS ASSIGNMENTS AND TO STUDY TELEVISION IN THE USA.
IN GOVERNMENT, HE WAS A MEDIA ADVISER TO SEVERAL MINISTERS AND AT LEAST FOUR PREMIERS AND HAS RECENTLY BEEN ON SHORT-TERM CONTRACT WITH THE BARNETT GOVERNMENT AS WELL TUTORING AT LEAST TWO MINISTERS.
BRIAN WAS 61.
HE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR MANY QUALITIES, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH WERE HIS IMMENSE LOYALTY, HIS STRENGTH OF CHARACTER AND DETERMINATION, HIS UNBENDING HONESTY, HIS SENSE OF HUMOUR AND HIS CARE FOR OTHERS.
BRIAN’S FUNERAL WILL PROBABLY NOT BE HELD UNTIL THE WEEK STARTING OCTOBER 12.
Update
DEAR ALL
BRIAN’S FUNERAL WILL BE HELD AT PINNAROO PARK CREMATORIUM ON WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 14, 2009 STARTING AT 1 PM. THE FAMILY HAS ASKED FOR A SHORT SERVICE SO I EXPECT THAT PROCEEDINGS WILL BE COMPLETED BY 2 PM SHORT EULOGIES WILL BE GIVEN BY FORMER DEPUTY PREMIER IAN TAYLOR, FORMER PREMIER’S CHIEF OF STAFF IAN FLETCHER, FORMER CHANNEL SEVEN COLLEAGUE AND EX-CHANNEL NINE NEWS DIRECTOR ERROL CONSIDINE AND COLLEAGUE AND CLOSE FRIEND GEOFF WALDOCK, CURRENTLY WEEKEND COS AT NINE NEWS. A MESSAGE WILL BE READ ON BEHALF OF BRIAN’S PARTNER, DR JENNY HART. A FUNERAL NOTICE WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE WEST AUSTRALIAN (Saturday October 10, 2009). I UNDERSTAND THAT A NUMBER OF STAFF MEMBERS WILL BE ATTENDING. IF ANYONE IS UNABLE TO GET TRANSPORT PLEASE ASK AROUND AND WE’LL TRY TO ASSIST WITH ARRANGEMENTS.
THANK YOU
Darcy Farrell
Brian Coulter on the right of Michael Goodall at the morning tea held at Kings Park on Friday August 7th, 2009. A social event organised by Darcy Farrell and Kevin Campbell
Brian is shown here talking to Kevin Campbell
Sandy Palmer with Brian on the Early Birds show in the 1970’s
That’s a shock. Brian was one of my mentors in my early days at Channel 7 in the late 70s, and (rightly) kicked my arse many a time. A good guy.
This is terrible news. I learnt a lot from Brian. He was a rare breed. A journo’s jouno. I’m shocked.
Goodbye comrade