Sydney Town Hall To Host Public Memorial For James Valentine

A public memorial for veteran broadcaster and musician James Valentine will be held at Sydney Town Hall later this month, with the event to be broadcast live on radio and online.

The former ABC Radio Sydney presenter died in April aged 64, two years after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. His family confirmed he used voluntary assisted dying.

The memorial service will take place on Friday, May 29, with members of the public able to attend by registering for tickets through the 702 ABC Sydney website. According to the ABC, tickets will be released in stages, with the first allocation becoming available on May 15 at 12:30pm.

The event will also be broadcast on 702 ABC Sydney and streamed through the ABC Listen app from 12:30pm to 2pm.

702 ABC Sydney station manager Nick Lowther said Valentine had wanted the memorial to reflect his connection to radio.

“His great love of the radio medium was what this was all about,” Mr Lowther said.

“He just wants to be able to have a chat through the people he’s organised to speak at his memorial.”

Former 702 ABC Sydney Drive presenter Richard Glover will host the service.

Valentine worked across radio and television for the ABC for more than 30 years and was best known for hosting the Afternoons program on ABC Radio Sydney for more than two decades. He retired from the broadcaster in February to focus on cancer treatment.

Before his broadcasting career, Valentine was also known as a musician and saxophonist, performing with Australian bands including Models and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons.

Following his death, tributes were paid by colleagues, listeners and public figures, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who described Valentine as having “this sense of decency that shone through the radio”.