Obituary: Shirley Maddock

Broadcaster, author and actress. Died on
Wednesday.

Pioneer broadcaster Shirley Maddock was made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1999 for services to radio and television broadcasting.

She was well known for her ground-breaking 1964 documentary, Islands of the Gulf, about life in the Hauraki Gulf.

Ms Maddock, born in Auckland, was also the author of about 10 books, including 1960s New Zealand non-fiction titles Islands of the Gulf and Far As A Man May Go, a story of Captain Cook's journey to New Zealand.

Last year her reminiscences about covering the Queen Mother's 1958 tour of New Zealand were featured in the Waikato Times.

In the 1950s she worked as a professional actress in England, appearing in The Lavender Hill Mob.

She also worked in American television.

Ms Maddock was married to the Waikato Times' crossword designer Michael Easther, a former Hamilton GP and long-time Hamilton Operatic Society member.

The couple have two sons, Richard and Philip, and a daughter Elisabeth.

Ms Maddock's funeral will be held in Hamilton next Monday, October 15.

- NZPA