(2) A. L. CURRY, OF 3YA

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 19, 3 November 1939, Page 16

(2) A. L. CURRY, OF 3YA

_ HEN A. L. Curry, "the man with the golden voice," who is chief announcer at 3YA, Christchurch, joined the service several years ago, he was probably the youngest senior announcer in a recognised National service in the British Empire. Mr. Curry was attracted to broadcasting purely betause of his interest in speech. He grasped an opportunity to use a successful talent. As a matter of fact, he forsook an accountancy career to follow a profession which seemed to him to be an outlet for his qualifications and his sense of the artistic. His people first noticed his ability when he read the newspaper news to them in his home

town-Masterton. Straight from an office in which one dealt entirely in figures, he dropped into a new sphere which juggled with words — and clicked — in 1927, shortly before the opening at Wellington of 2YA. And after three months in Wellington he was appointed Chief Announcer at 4YA Dunedin. In those days the Dunedin system had not been really organised, and it fell to Mr. Curry to bring the station into line with the other three centres. First Overseas Broadcast It was not long before he was appointed: to Christchurch as Chief Announcer at 3YA,-then the administrative centre of the original

Broadcasting Company, and he continued with the work. He has been associated with almost all the outstanding developments in radio as far as it has gone in New Zealand, including the announcement of the first attempt at overseas broadcasting — the Demp-sey-Tunney fight, in 1927. Then he introduced the broadcast on the occasion of the first Empire transmission, when 5SW Chelmsford came on the air from London. "I well remember the feeling of excitement in the Christchurch studio. as we stood by for the first carrier-wave from England to New Zealand. It was with a voice filled with emotion that, at the close of the broadcast, I announced: ‘You have been listening to G 5SW Chelmsford, England," says Mr. Curry. To-day, of course, such broadcasts are carried out with as little concern as a relay from a local theatre. Longest Hook-Up His next big stunt was in 1928, when the Trans-Tasman air crossings were made and he;--with other national announcers, kept a

long vigil. He was in charge of the announcing when the first two-way conversation between New Zealand and America took place and when Commander Byrd spoke to William Ochs, of the New York Times. That was the greatest hook-up in distance and coverage of listeners ever undertaken, reports of listeningin success being received in Christchurch from all over the world. Since then, overseas flights, two-way conversations and international relays have come to be "taken as read." Mr. Curry’s most interesting experience was doing a spot of broadcasting from underneath a river — when the opening of the

Waitaki dam was celebrated. He took a long lead into one of the inspection tunnels in the dam itself. With the waters of the river thundering overhead, he was able to provide aé_ realistic background for listeners. A Debating Enthusiast Although broadcasting in the National Stations is confined to the presentation of programmes, Mr. Curry recalls times when a New Zealand announcer did descriptions of events from horseracing to cricket, and enjoyed every minute of it. However, he finds his job of to-day an all-absorbing one. He inaug-

urated the Federated Debating Societies of New Zealand in 1928, and this organisation is now represented in almost every major town in the Dominion. He is the sole Life Member. A good deal of the renewed interest in public speaking, particularly in the South Island, is due to his active work in organising debating groups. Christchurch recently acknowledged his place in the Federation by appointing him patron, and he still takes the keenest interest in speaking and literary societies. In fact, he usually spends his night-off from broadcasting, as a judge. He won the New Zealand Oratorical championship twice and the elocution championship and debating championship once. He is interested also in the work of dramatic societies, and has been an actor and a producer. "My sole hobby is my work, but I like all forms of sport. Someday, perhaps, I might make some sort of a fist at golf," he says, with a whimsical smile. |