Dr Nigel Dick AM – Doctor of Communications honoris causa

Chancellor, it is my pleasure and privilege to present to you Dr Nigel Dick, who you have admitted to the degree of Doctor of Communication Honoris Causa.

In a long and distinguished career, Nigel Dick has worked at the highest levels of the Australian television industry for over 50 years. He has also made an exceptional contribution to the community through his role with Odyssey House Victoria and has been a significant contributor to the television discipline at RMIT through his long involvement with the Media degree in the School of Applied Communication.

From 1964 to 1969 he was general manager and director of General Television Pty Ltd, having served as a senior executive from 1956. This is widely regarded as a golden era in Australian television. Nigel was

responsible to Sir Frank Packer for the running of Channel 9 in Melbourne when that station was producing now legendary programs such as In Melbourne Tonight with Graham Kennedy. Over a period of several decades, he has also been the Director of Television and Broadcasting for the Herald and Weekly Times and Chairman of HSV7, the Executive Chairman and Managing Director of Southern Cross Communications and the Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand.

In the 1970’s, Nigel was involved with two key organizations in the development of film and television in Victoria. He was director of and consultant to Crawford Productions (the state’s largest production company at the time). He was also deputy chairman and founding board member of the Victorian Film Corporation, now Film Victoria.

Nigel was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1994 for “Services to Media, in particular television, and the community”.

Beyond the television industry, Nigel has been the Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria for three years and a councillor and director of the same organization for ten years.

Nigel Dick was also instrumental in establishing Odyssey House in Victoria, where he has been a board member for 29 years and chairman for 22 years. In awarding Nigel the 2007 Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence and Outstanding Contribution in Drug and Alcohol Endeavours, Chairman of the Australian National Council on Drugs, Dr John Herron said “Nigel Dick is an incredible man. Over 10,000 family members and 8,000 clients have been helped during his time at Odyssey House … Nigel has gone above and beyond the call of duty and contributed much more to society than is generally expected of individuals.

He has had a significant and positive impact on numerous people’s lives, all in a voluntary capacity.”

Nigel graduated with a Master of Arts from RMIT in 2000. It should be noted how unusual it is for senior people in commercial television to both value and undertake a university higher degree. He has been a Program Advisory Committee member for the Bachelor of Communication (Media) degree for over 10 years.

Nigel also organized a series of annual prizes for outstanding students in the Media program. These prizes were first established in 1995 and are still being offered.

RMIT has had a long relationship with the television industry, primarily through the Media degree, which commenced in 1976. However, television is an industry where the value of tertiary education has only recently begun to be widely recognised and valued. Nigel Dick has set a wonderful example as a senior figure in commercial television, through his commitment over many years to the importance of education and research. Furthermore, his support for the university through his long involvement with the Media program has provided a significant bridge between the industry and the university. His contribution is eminently worthy of this recognition.

Chancellor, I present to you Dr Nigel Dick, Doctor of Communication Honoris Causa.