936 ABC Hobart Breakfast presenter, Ric Paterson, has been named Tasmanian
of the Year.

The announcement was made by Tasmanian Governor Sir Guy Green at a reception last week at Government House Hobart.

Paterson’s efforts with the ABC Giving Tree, have helped thousands of Tasmanian
families over the past 15 years. His support for numerous community events,
local charities and young Tasmanian performers were cited by the Tasmania
Committee in making the award.

Premier Jim Bacon paid tribute to Paterson, saying:

“Ric is much loved by the people of Tasmania and has been giving to the Tasmanian community for over 40 years. His desire to help people is legendary and is embodied in a whole range of community activities. The best known of these is the annual Giving Tree
appeal which has gone from strength to strength.

The Giving Tree has generated
more than two million dollars and provided direct assistance to thousands of families throughout Tasmania. The contribution it has made to encouraging
Tasmanians to join a more caring, sharing engagement with the community is
beyond measure”.

Acting Local Radio Manager, Anthony Frangi, echoed the thoughts of many of
Paterson’s
colleagues when he said, “We’re all very proud of Ric. His passion for
Tasmania
has been evident since he joined the ABC in 1969”.

Ric Paterson was overwhelmed and said that the only thing he was thinking prior to the announcement was that he must try to book the recipient for an interview on
Monday morning!

He paid tribute to his family, wife Vicki and their five
children, saying that they had copped a lot of teasing from having a Dad in
the
media.

He added: “All I’ve done is try to put back a little into the
community that has given me so much. I wanted to say thank you for your
loyalty”.

Paterson is southern Tasmania’s favourite breakfast presenter. In the last Radio Ratings his Breakfast program drew a rating of 28, 5 points clear of
his
nearest competitor.