Editorial: A man with a zest for life

Long ago, even before television, Peter Sinclair was part of New Zealand life. As a radio disc jockey in those days his hit parade carried to all corners of the country. When television arrived in the 1960s the voice we knew so well made the transition easily, fronting frenetic pop shows with the controlled excitement that was his hallmark.

Colleagues paid tribute yesterday to his professionalism and total reliability. In those early television productions, when little could be pre-recorded, Peter Sinclair was more than a compere, he was the safety valve. Said producer Kevan Moore: "Peter was always put in his own area so that when things all turned to custard we could cut back to him and there he would be ... We could take risks knowing he was there."

To a generation of New Zealanders it seems he has been there forever, pleasant, lively and apparently ageless. Over the years he did much more in broadcasting and beyond. He was often the on-screen glue that held a "telethon" together. He changed pace and became a gentle quizmaster. Off screen, he cultivated interests in pottery, cooking and, later, the internet.

He became a writer in this newspaper, first with a clear and helpful column on the new technology. Then, when he was diagnosed with leukaemia, he had the courage to write for us weekly as he faced his own death.

Typically, Peter Sinclair turned the approach of death into a final, appreciative taste of life. Never maudlin or self-indulgent, he was, right to the end, attuned to the interesting, rich, creative impulses around him. His talent, as always, was to convey them with verve, rendering them intelligible. It is easy to take that sort of contribution for granted.

Personalities such as Peter Sinclair become fixtures of our lives in a way that is not readily defined and seldom fully realised - until they are gone.