Charmaine Dragun
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| Charmaine Dragun | ||
|---|---|---|
 Charmaine Dragun presenting Ten News Perth |
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| Birth name | Charmaine Dragun | |
| Born | March 21, 1978 | |
| Birth place | Western Australia | |
| Died | November 2, 2007 (aged 29) | |
| Circumstances | ||
| Occupation | Journalist, Anchor | |
| Children | None | |
| Notable relatives | One brother | |
| Ethnicity | Croatian | |
| Religious belief(s) | Roman Catholic | |
| Notable credit(s) | ||
Charmaine Dragun (pronounced /drægʌn/) (21 March 1978[1] – 2 November 2007) was an Australian broadcast journalist and presenter. She was the regular co-anchor of Ten News Perth, Western Australia's 5pm bulletin alongside Tim Webster, which is broadcast from the TEN-10 Sydney studios at Pyrmont. Dragun had also filled in on Ten's nationally broadcast Morning News, Weekend News and presented Ten Late News on Fridays.[2] Originally a reporter for Ten News in Perth, she replaced Celina Edmonds in the role. She went to Corpus Christi College in Bateman in her high school years. As the daughter of a music teacher, Dragun loved music & drama and had initially aspired to be a concert pianist.
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[edit] Career
Dragun, a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, began her career as a radio journalist, working in the newsrooms at Perth's 6PR and 96FM stations.[3] Her efforts earned her nomination for Young Journalist Of The Year. After moving to Ten, she turned to court reporting and filled in as Ten News presenter over the summers of 2003 and 2004 before being appointed permanent news anchor for Perth's Ten News at Five from July 4th, 2005.[4]
Dragun was also a supporter of many charity events and was an MC at the Melville Pink Ribbon Ball held at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, a fundraiser to support breast cancer research and services funded by The Cancer Council Western Australia.[5]
In July 2007 Charmaine Dragun took a trip to Croatia to learn about her heritage. She wrote a first person article for The Sunday Times which appeared in the STM on July 22.[6]
[edit] Personal life
Dragun was engaged to Simon Struthers (bass guitarist for Adam Said Galore and local record producer), with the pair planning to marry on Charmaine's 30th birthday - Good Friday 2008. The couple had met when they were teenagers working at the Chicken Treat fast food restaurant in Perth and were together for 13 years.
Dragun's mother, Estelle, who is also a teacher, told ABC's Australian Story program that Charmaine had struggled with anorexia after lewd comments about her figure were made by workers at a construction site. [7]
[edit] Death
Shortly before 4:00pm on Friday 2 November 2007, Dragun committed suicide[1] by jumping from The Gap in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs.[8] A Channel Seven news report the following day stated that Dragun was undergoing treatment for depression and had recently changed medication.[1] Dragun was due to present the 5pm news for Perth and Ten Late News on the day she died. Staff in Perth and Sydney were only informed of her death 15 minutes before the 5pm programme was due to air.[9] According to reports Miss Dragun was at the Gap for 2 hours. At some point, it's believed that onlookers had called police because they were concerned and Miss Dragun sent a text message to her boyfriend but police arrived at the scene too late. She died in the Jacobs ladder area of the Gap.
A funeral service, attended by hundreds of mourners was held on November 12, 2007 in Perth.[10]
On 28 April 2008, ABC Television broadcast Friday's Child, a tribute documentary shown as part of the Australian Story strand.[11]
The Coroner's Court of New South Wales says its investigation into Dragun's death is continuing and that no decision has yet been taken on whether an inquest will take place.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Wilson, Lauren. "Newsreader planned to marry", The Australian, 2007-11-05. Retrieved on 2007-11-05.
- ^ TEN News Presenters. Network Ten. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ Yeap, Sue. "Home from home for newsreader", The West Australian, 2005-09-26.
- ^ Graduate Testimonials from successful graduates. Edith Cowan University. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ Bauwens, Di. "Pink Power", The West Australian, 2007-09-26.
- ^ Charmaine Dragun discovers her heritage in Croatia. The Sunday Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-05.
- ^ Family speaks of Dragun's suicide. ninemsn (2008-04-28). Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
- ^ Box, Dan. "Newsreader found dead", The Australian, 2007-11-03. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ Channel Ten newsreader Charmaine Dragun found dead. The Sunday Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-04.
- ^ Hundreds pay tribute to Charmaine. Sydney Morning Herald (2007-11-12). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
- ^ Australian Story - Friday's Child - Transcript. ABC Television (2008-04-28). Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
| Preceded by Celina Edmonds |
Ten News Perth Co-Anchor 2005 - 2007 |
Succeeded by Narelda Jacobs |
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