ABC VETERAN JOURNALIST SEAN DORNEY STRUGGLING WITH MND

ABC Veteran Journalist Sean Dorney 

Struggling with MND

Many long-time listeners to the now-defunct Radio Australia will know the name, Sean Dorney. For four decades, Sean was the ABC's correspondent in Papua New Guinea and many parts of the Pacific. His adventurous life has been one devoted to delivering quality news reporting. His work was recognised through an Australian "Walkley Award" for outstanding journalism, for his coverage of the tsunami that hit the Aitape coast of PNG in 1998. Interestingly, Sean was both deported from PNG, and later upon his return to the country awarded an MBE by the Papua New Guinean Government! He is the author of Papua New Guinea: People, politics, and history since 1975 and The Sandline Affair: Politics and mercenaries and the Bougainville crisis.

However, recently the online Catholic Leader news reports that the 66 years old Dorney is finding life these days far more difficult than it once was when he was actively reporting for Radio Australia and the ABC. Motor neurone disease is severely limiting the movement of his limbs. 

Dorney said "Generally the prognosis for anyone with motor neurone disease is three years. Some last ten, others a year and a half. Actually, it was a bit of a relief to know what it was, and I had a determination not to let it cloud my mind and get depressed."

In this far-ranging article, Sean also talks about the recent decision to close Radio Australia. The article reports:

Mr Dorney laments Australian politicians’ lack of concern for the importance of Pacific affairs, and an ABC decision to close down Radio Australia’s shortwave service, which has served as a lifeline among island nations.

“I just think we’ve dropped the ball when it comes to our responsibility in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific,” he said. “And I think the Australian media has lost the plot when it comes to where Australia is in the world.

“This is a part of the world where we should have a major influence. But knowledge of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific is pretty pathetic.

“As for the ABC, I’m just astounded that ‘we’ (he still calls the ABC ‘we’) have decided that because no one in Sydney listens to Radio Australia (on shortwave) no one anywhere else must listen to it.

“In Pauline’s village (on Tulu Island), her brother used to listen to Radio Australia on shortwave, but for some reason, the people in the ABC seem to think everyone listens to FM radio now.”

Mr Dorney said shortwave radio remained “hugely important”, despite an ABC decision that it was a “technology of the past and we don’t need it anymore”.

Further on in the article, Dorney relates the circumstances behind how he got deported from PNG and received an MBE for services to journalism, AND how he came to be the captain of that country's national rugby team! It's a fascinating read, which you can find at: ABC Veteran Sean Dorney Tackles Life With Motor Neurone Disease

A second, shorter article on Dorney was published online just several weeks ago by the ABC, entitled Friends and colleagues honour ABC correspondent Sean Dorney. A special dinner was held for him, which also raised $7,000 for research into motor neurone disease.

We wish him well in his fight against this debilitating disease.

73 and good DX to you all,

Rob Wagner VK3BVW

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