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Russell Woolf: WA comedy legend Peter Rowsthorn pays tribute to veteran ABC broadcaster

The West Australian
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WA comedy legend Pete Rowsthorn has paid tribute to his mate Russell Woolf.
Camera IconWA comedy legend Pete Rowsthorn has paid tribute to his mate Russell Woolf.

WA comedy legend Pete Rowsthorn has paid tribute to his mate Russell Woolf.

The death of the popular Perth radio host at age 56 was announced on air by his colleagues on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Rowsthorn spoke to the West Live from outside a florist where has was buying flowers for Woolf’s family — wife Kylie and daughter Bronte.

“You go through those sort of clumsy actions after… it’s so sudden it’s so incredibly shocking to lose a friend like that,” Rowsthorn said.

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“He was a beautiful man… I was so lucky to have known him and have worked with him.”

The pair shared a number of slots on ABC’s Drive segment.

“We’ve done quite a bit of radio… we had a natural rapport with each other and I’m just so happy it happened with him because we were just two giant children.”

Rowsthorn was on air with Woolf the day he announced his shock resignation from the ABC.

“I knew it was coming… the ABC had sacked him… he was so gutted.

“They (ABC) just couldn’t get their heads around a guy who could stand outside the studio in the street in thongs and a polo having a durry and walk back in and just do it.

“He was a genius… he was across a lot of subjects. He was a great listener, and cared, cared so much about humanity.”

Woolf was later re-hired to presents ABC Perth’s Breakfast program, where he worked up until his death.

He had a long career with the network after first starting at its Karratha bureau in 1997.

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