Ex-Nine Network icon John Westacott, identified as man who died in Sydney Harbour
Nine Network identity John Westacott, 72, is the man who died after falling from a boat into Sydney Harbour on Sunday, police have confirmed.
Westacott, a former 60 Minutes executive producer and Nine Network director of news and current affairs, died after falling near Neilson Park, Vaucluse, at about 1.30pm on Sunday due to a “medical episode”.
A police report said emergency services responded and “the man was retrieved by officers attached to the Marine Area Command. (He was) taken to shore where he was treated by … paramedics, but died at the scene.”
The Australian reported that an 18-year-old man is understood to have been on board the same vessel as Westacott and was brought to shore uninjured.
Westacott worked for 25 years as a journalist at Nine – doing 16 years as the EP of 60 Minutes, before becoming director of news and current affairs in 2007, until his retirement in 2009.
He was credited with inventing the “worm” graphic used during election debates, The Australian said.
A Nine statement read: “He was the longest-serving and most successful executive producer of 60 Minutes, a driving force of A Current Affair and a visionary with Nine as the national director of news and current affairs”.
Nine’s Michael Healy, Nine’s director of TV, and Darren Wick, national director of news and current affairs said in a joint statement: “Westy was an enigma. There was no one like him. He didn‘t care about political correctness and would publicly declare that.
“He didn‘t care where you came from, nor about your gender, ethnicity or religious and political beliefs. He cared about whether you had the passion and ability to tell a great story.
“Westy made Nine a better place. He was a big vision, big picture person who made us all reach for the stars and land on them.
“We will miss him.”
Former colleague Laurie Patton wrote on Nine’s staff Facebook page:
“Westie was a real journalist. And a bloody good bloke.
“When he moved from newspapers his erstwhile colleagues made a poster for him. It read ‘you can’t swat a fly with a TV’.
“His first TV gig didn’t work out when Channel Ten dumped The Reporters after only a few months on air.
“We were all sacked. Told it wasn’t a current affairs program but a variety show. Accordingly, we were to receive only a week’s pay rather than three months under the AJA (now MEAA) award.
“The AJA took Ten to the Industrial Commission. The program’s executive producer perjured himself – backing the company line.
“Westacott, who was his deputy, promptly took the stand and backed us, commenting that everyone who he’d helped employ had been chosen for their journalism. Ten backed down the next day.
“Ironically, The Reporters was one of several failed attempts to clone Sixty Minutes.
“So it was entirely fitting that ‘sixty’ was where he did some of his best work.
“John was also my sailing buddy for many years. RIP old mate!”
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