Walter Tasman Conder (18 October 1888 – 3 November 1974), frequently referred to as Major Conder, was general manager of the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is a ...

from 1933 to 1935.

History

Conder was born in

Ringarooma, Tasmania Ringarooma is a small town in north-eastern Tasmania. It is located just east of the Ringarooma River and is about south-west from Derby and east-northeast from Launceston. The area around Ringarooma is known for dairy farming and timber harv ...

, a son of J. H. Conder, and educated at Church Grammar School, Launceston. He was an officer with the Cadet Corps prior to WWI and when he enlisted with the First AIF in Melbourne he left for the Dardanelles as acting lieutenant with the 7th Battalion. He was wounded at Gallipoli and returned to Australia by the hospital ship ''Kyarra'' for six months' leave, then his appointment (with rank of captain) terminated in July 1916. :He re-enlisted during the second world war, giving his DOB as 18 October 1894 and his age as 45years 7 months. He served overseas for nearly two years as an amenities officer, with rank of major, then placed on the retired list in 1942. He served out the war as controller of army training camps at

Langwarrin Langwarrin ( ) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, central business district, located within the City of Frankston Local government areas of Victoria, local government ar ...

and

Broadmeadows Broadmeadows is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District and the council seat of the City of Hume local government area. Broadmeadows recorded a population of 12,524 at the 2021 census. It i ...

, then was appointed governor of

Pentridge Pentridge is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge, in the Dorset district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England, lying in the north-east of the county. It is situated on the edge of Cranb ...

prison, under the Victorian Prisons Department. He became associated with J. C. Williamson, Ltd, and made general manager of Melbourne radio station 3LO, then in 1928 became managing director of Dominion Broadcasting Co., Ltd., which in May 1928 took over the assets of 3LO and 3AR. 7ZL (Hobart) was added in July and 5CL (Adelaide) shortly after. These stations were taken over by the Australian Government to form part of the National Broadcasting Network, under the

(ABC). In 1932 Conder was an organiser for the Melbourne Centenary. He was appointed General Manager of the ABC, following the death of its charter GM, H. P. Williams. He immediately clashed with the Commission chairman, W. J. Cleary, who had a vision of the ABC as promoting quality arts and drama, while Conder wanted the service to have broad appeal. Conder resigned in June 1935 after Cleary alleged irregularities in Conder's use of ABC funds. :

Charles Moses Sir Charles Alfred Joseph Moses (21 January 19009 February 1988) was a British-born Australian administrator who was general manager of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) from 1935 until 1965. A 1918 graduate of the Royal Military ...

, the Commission's favored replacement, was appointed after being "groomed for the job" by Cleary. In February 1945 Cleary resigned from the Commission. Conder left for

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

in 1952. He died in Nelson in 1974.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conder, Walter 1888 births 1974 deaths Australian radio executives Australian Broadcasting Corporation people