ABC Perth based reporter Bronwyn Herbert has been awarded the eleventh winner of the prestigious Andrew Olle Scholarship. She will speak at next week’s Olle Memorial dinner along with keynote speaker John Hartigan.
ABC Managing Director Mark Scott congratulated Bronwyn Herbert on winning this award:
“It’s a terrific opportunity for her to spend the next twelve months honing her craft… I am committed to fostering young talent at the ABC and providing opportunities for development. Year after year, the Andrew Olle Scholarship provides an outstanding learning opportunity to fast track the development of specialist reporting skills for a young journalist.”
Herbert’s proposal for the scholarship is focused on the study of environmental issues and will include secondments to Radio Current Affairs, TV News in Sydney, Radio and TV News in Canberra, Radio National’s Background Briefing and the 7.30 Report. During this time, Bronwyn will work to strengthen both her investigative and story telling skills.
Bronwyn was a rural reporter based in Kununurra, in far northern Western Australia. During her time at the one-person outpost bureau, she covered diverse stories from illegal fishing to diamond mining, filing for regional, state and national programs.
She has also worked in the Sydney newsroom and presented for triple j News. Since April 2007, Bronwyn Herbert has been based in the ABC’s Perth newsroom as the state’s environment and regional affairs reporter for both TV and radio.
During this time, Bronwyn will work to strengthen both her investigative and story telling skills. Bronwyn will also undertake part-time study at the Australian National University’s Institute for the Environment in Canberra.
Over the course of the Scholarship, Bronwyn will develop a training resource for editors across Australia aimed at assisting journalists covering the areas of regional affairs and the environment. She will take up the Andrew Olle Scholarship early next year.
The ABC founded the Andrew Olle scholarship in 1996 to commemorate the life and work of esteemed journalist, broadcaster and program maker Andrew Olle.
Andrew Olle was born in 1947 and joined the ABC in Brisbane in November 1967 as a news cadet. Andrew spent the next 28 years developing his skills as a journalist by working in a wide variety of programs. He died suddenly of an inoperable brain tumour on 12 December 1995 aged 47. The scholarship was designed to honour Andrew Olle by creating career development opportunities for young ABC journalists and to promote the values that epitomised Andrew Olle’s journalism.