Oh my god!

WHAT!

I'm very shocked as well. All my wishes go to Charmaine's family.

this is so unfair, two great WA journos gone in a month. Poor Charmaine

Who did tonights news then?

Tim Webster.

Terrible news.

RIP.

Ten has released a statement, I've updated the article.

Sad news

Thanks Kevin.

Only 29

That's what makes this even more sad.

There will always be pressures in a job like hers, and already I've read rumours suggesting the obvious, but I can only hope it's not true. She is so young and had everything going for her.

Sad sad news

What a month for WA news readers... RIP Charmaine. You were so well spoken and really shined behind the desk. We'll miss you here.

Excellent tribute Smacca, thanks.

I'm still shocked about this. It's just so tragic for someone so young and wish such talent to have left us

They're interviewing journalist Jo McManus about Charmaine's death on Sky News at the moment.

Did she present last night?

Not sure. I've heard that she's had the last few days off, but I haven't seen Ten News this week so I have no idea.

Rick Ardon shared the sad news with us at the end of Seven News Perth tonight.



+ Charmaine Dragun has died (6.51mb)
Right-click link and use the "Save Target As" option to download.

You got quoted in the Yahoo7 report.


http://au.news.yahoo.com/071102/2/14u0t.html


"A Perth-based blogger described her passing as "absolutely horrible news", while another also referred to the recent passing of footballer media identity Chris Mainwaring. "This is so unfair, two great WA journos gone in a month. Poor Charmaine," the blogger wrote in an online post."



Im still in a state of shock. Not that I saw much of Ten News after WIN dropped it she was always my favorite anchor at ten.

Great tribute Smacca, thanks for the vid Kevin.

[ Edited on November 2 2007 at 9:09pm by timmy ]

Charmaine is leading story on 6PR News tonight, as is to be expected considering she worked there.


Jo McManus is talking to Graham Mabury on 6PR now.

Short clip of the 10pm edition of 6PR News

[This attachment is no longer available]

Nothing on Ten's Late News, which is sort of... I dunno, disrespectful in my opinion.

That's surprising, I thought there would have been a mention of it.

I guess it would be hard for them tonight, considering this is still only a relatively 'new' story. I agree that they should have had something tonight, but no doubt they'll give Charmaine a proper farewell tomorrow night.

Graham was having a hard time talking about Charmaine earlier. He did work with her at 6PR so it must be incredibly difficult for him.

People have started calling up about Charmaine already. You can guys can listen on the 6PR website.

TVW sport reporter Steve Nelkovski, who worked at Ten with Charmaine, is now on 6PR with Graham.

Hearing your tribute live on 6PR, Kevin. Very nice indeed.

Thanks. Just such sad news

Here is Graham reading out what I had to say.

[This attachment is no longer available]

Her co-anchor on the Perth News at Five, Tim Webster, is understood to have gone to air without Dragun after a decision was made not to announce the death, at the request of her family. "She just seemed so bubbly and happy. There was no sign of anything. People are just trying to make sense of it all," the colleague said.

Ten chose not to report Dragun's death last night, out of respect for her family's privacy. - The Oz

Completely understandable and honourable. The wishes of her family far outweigh the need for news. People will have found out by other means, so Ten didn't need to go there straight away.

November 2 seems to be a bad day.

+ Wally Foreman has died

It was this exact day last year that the great Wally Foreman died

Nice email Smacca

Thanks Kev. What a day.

Shock at Dragun death
November 3, 2007


The sudden death of Network Ten journalist and news anchor Charmaine Dragun has sparked an outpouring of grief.
The television network where the 29-year-old had worked for eight years is tonight in a state of shock, as TV viewers turned to internet blogs to air their sorrow.

Ms Dragun's body was found at The Gap, in Sydney's east, shortly before 4pm (AEDT) this afternoon and police have described her death as non-suspicious.

"Colleagues and friends of Charmaine Dragun, co-presenter of TEN's Perth News at Five, mourn her tragic passing this afternoon," TEN's chief executive officer Grant Blackley said in a condolence statement issued tonight.

"We are all in a state of shock and sadness at this terrible news."

Mr Blackley said Ms Dragun was a highly intelligent, vibrant and caring person, universally liked and admired by her colleagues.

"Our deepest sympathies go to her partner, Simon, and her family.

"We are doing what we can to support them and urge everyone to respect their privacy at this time."

Ms Dragun was a newsreader for Perth's TEN News at Five, alongside Tim Webster, and the program is produced in Sydney.

Police have not commented on the circumstances leading up to the woman's death, saying only that a member of the public reported a woman was sitting at a harbour's edge look-out.

Officers were dispatched but the woman was dead before they could arrive, and the death was considered non-suspicious.

"Police are investigating an incident at Watsons Bay," a police spokesman said tonight.

"Shortly before 4pm (AEDT) a woman ... was sitting at Jacob's Ladder.

"Police arrived and located the woman deceased at the scene."

The spokesman said investigations were continuing and a report would be prepared for the coroner.

Ms Dragun started her career in Perth after graduating from the WA Academy of Performing Arts, and had been with Network Ten for nearly eight years.

A biography on the webpage of the media agency which represented her states she was born in WA, where she rose up through the ranks of radio and then television.

"Charmaine began her career as a radio journalist. She worked as a reporter and news reader for Perth radio stations 6PR and 96FM," the bio reads.

"After making the move to television, she rose through the ranks at Ten News, covering everything from entertainment to stories of major, national significance.

"She soon found her niche in court reporting and went on to cover some of the biggest cases WA has seen in recent years."

The bio, on the website of BBC Entertainment, said Ms Dragun was most recently working a permanent news anchor with stints hosting Ten's Late News and the 11.30 bulletins.

Ms Dragun was a popular and respected member of the Perth media community and was also involved in Perth charities, such as the Pink Ribbon Ball and fund-raising for Perth Zoo.

A promotion to the news desk in 2005 took Ms Dragun to Sydney where the Perth bulletin is produced.

A Perth-based blogger tonight described her passing as "absolutely horrible news", while another also referred to the recent passing of footballer media identity Chris Mainwaring.

"This is so unfair, two great WA journos gone in a month. Poor Charmaine," the blogger wrote in an online post.
AAP

wow, i didn't expect to see our comments appearing in the article

For those that aren't aware (because many people here are from WA, so not sure how well known this is), The Gap (where Charmaine was found) is one of Sydney's most notorious suicide spots.

As soon as I read that she was found at the gap, it's not hard to see why police say the death is not suspicious.

I was shocked when I heard the news after getting home last night.

I'll be sad for today

It seems she was under some great personnel or work related pressure and to great saddness it got the best of her . Living in Canberra the only time i was able to see Charmaine present was on Fridays Late news. She always did a great job and was a fantasic assest to the Ten News team. She will be greatly missed by all at Ten and im sure by many others within the media and general public. Its just such a tragic event and a God awful loss of talent and would have continued to rise the ranks of Ten. Charmaine, in death may you continue to shine like the star you were

Yeah, as soon as The Gap was mentioned I could reasonably guess what had happened.

But why? Why is it that we have lost two loved and well-known media personalities in the past month? What is it that could have caused the premature deaths of these people?

I liked Chris, but Charmaine I absolutely adored. I really liked her - my favourite Ten anchor - and she was a talented young female who you could see was going to go places.

I just don't know what to say - I've been in shock since I heard the news. I didn't know about it until this morning, when I opened the Telegraph and found a beautiful picture of her and that smile.

It is so sad. 29 is just too young, and I feel so sorry for her family and her colleagues (especially Tim Webster)...

Poor Tim, his so brave to have read the news last night and kept it together. It will be a tough couple of weeks for him reading the news

Charmaine's death has also made headlines overseas too.

I had never heard of it until last night. I quickly found out that what the place was well known for, and it became obvious to me then what had happened.


We all are. It just doesn't make any sense for someone like her to do that. Sadly it happens all too often though.


It's just a shame she chose this path instead of reaching out for help


We will probably never know, but this highlights the need for more awareness on the issues of depression and suicide. More needs to be done, but sadly it's too late for Charmaine.


She was indeed. This is what doesn't make any sense to me - she had everything going for her (career-wise anyway) and it's just a terrible shame she chose to do this instead of getting help. Easier said that done I know, but I just wish she had asked for help


I have no idea how he managed yesterday's bulletin. Apparently they all knew about it at Ten before the bulletin went to air, and chose not to make mention of it out of respect for Charmaine's family (as has been said already)... so how in the world Tim managed to do the bulletin is beyond me.

Hopefully they'll give her a proper tribute in this afternoon's bulletin, and I'm sure we'll see something bigger on Monday.

Yes, as shocking as her death is, it seems to have "suicide" written all over it.

You just think that with her and her colleagues having done stories about suicide and mental illness and prevention, she would have thought otherwise...

From livenews.com.au:

She was a very valuable asset to journalism.

Incredibly sad news...

Seven reported that Charmaine suffered depression and had recently changed medication.

Also, she was planning to move back to Perth with her long term partner to start a family.

Part of your video tribute was featured in Seven's Sydney news tonight Smacca.

Yeah I heard just a moment ago. I'm very happy that footage of Charmaines magnificent work is being spread and I'm glad I was able to help do that.

Charmaine is the leading story on BTQ News tonight.

Seems like I don't need TV, radio or newspapers any more - I just logon to AM. My deepest sympathies are extended to Charmaine's family, friends and colleagues. RIP

Bill Woods currently speaking about Charmaine on Ten News.

Did anyone in WA record the closer to tonight's Ten News? I only caught the end of it and missed the tribute they played

My own little tribute to Charmaine. Such a vibrant young woman who had so much ahead of her. You will be truly missed



+Charmaine-Dragun-Tribute.wmv

From STM. A old article about Charmaine Dragun going back to Croatia


"Accompanied by the other love of my life, photographer Simon Struthers, I headed off into the dusky landscape where mountains buried in clouds melt into the sea, and a blood orange sun lights the sky."


http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21...from=public_rss

Charmaine is also the lead story on TVW News tonight

Part of Smacca's video was played on TVW News as well. That was an excellent report from Mark Gibson

STW had a pathetic 20 second voice over and Sonia couldn't even pronounce Charmaine's last name right.


Brilliant report by Mark Gibson.

[ Edited on November 3 2007 at 5:17pm by timmy ]

Beautiful.

Absolutely Beautiful.

R.I.P Charmaine

I'm really surprised that Dixie and Sonia are still around.

Not really surprised that Sharlyn didn't read the news tonight considering Charmaine was a colleague when she was at Ten.

Here's something I put together with the footage I had



+ Charmaine Tribute (20.4mb)
Right-click link and use the "Save Target As" option to download.

Very nice, Kevin

That quote is on news.com.au



What a shock - so young & had a bright future as a newsreader - condolences to Charmaine's family & friends, but the question remains to be answered - why did she decide to take her own life, but SMS a friend before she did?

thats the third time, the quote has been showed to us.

Sorry - didn't notice, but the interesting part about all this is that the content that the networks are showing from the Internet coming from a number of places?

hey i don't mind one bit, whoever was browsing through here thought that my quote was rather fitting for the article

It is good to see the networks going "outside the square", so to speak, and seeing first-hand the community reaction to terrible news such as this.

The outpouring of shock and sadness at Charmaine's death only serves to emphasise just how much people liked and adored her. It is such a shame though that she probably never knew how much support she ever had from those who didn't know her, but saw her talent and appreciated her as an on-air personality who brought them the news with a smile and an unspoken reassurance that not all was bad with the world.

[ Edited on November 3 2007 at 9:09pm by aamslfc ]

All the video tributes are absolutely fantastic, guys.

Seriously, it's so nice to be part of a community like this.

R.I.P Charmaine...

I agree, and it does show that presenters and reporters do have a fan base, and that the networks know it. It may seem silly to some people, but that's what we do and things like this do affect us.


Very well said.


Thanks, and welcome to AM. It's just a shame that it's sad events like this that bring people to us.

But that's what we're here for. We're all feeling the same way at the moment so it's good to be able to talk amongst ourselves about what has happened. It's a shame Charmaine didn't do the same thing

Seven Sydney did a rather interesting report into her death on saturday night it have a few more details. I understand Ten not giving more details, just so sad!

More details were released yesterday and today.

I feel sorry for her partner because she sent him a text message telling him what she was about to do. A witness had called the police because she had been sitting there for a while apparently, but police got there too late

Newreader 'an eternal optimist who lived life of love'

CHANNEL Ten newsreader Charmaine Dragun, who took her own life on Friday, was planning to marry her long-term partner and start a family.

Those close to Dragun -- who read Perth's nightly news bulletin from Ten's Sydney studio -- said yesterday the popular 29-year-old suffered from depression.

"Charmaine fought a brave and private battle with depression,'' her family and close friends said in a statement.

"She was determined not to allow it to control her, and because she cared so much for the people she loved most, she never wanted to burden them. In such tragic circumstances, there will always be a search for answers.

"While her death was defined by depression, her life was defined by love.

"Despite her struggle, Charmaine was the eternal optimist.

"It's important people know Charmaine wasn't a negative or needy person and never wanted to be the victim.''

Dragun and her long-term partner, Simon Struthers, a forensic pathologist and bass player, were planning a surprise wedding at their joint 30th birthdays in March next year.

The couple, who had been together since they were 16, had also begun talking about starting a family.

A lover of music, Dragun purchased Bjork concert tickets hours before her body was found at the base of sea cliffs at The Gap, a notorious suicide spot in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

In the statement, her friends and family said she had struggled with living in Sydney. ``While she did find it difficult living away from her family in Perth, she was surrounded by a tight-knit group of supportive friends in Sydney. She enjoyed Sydney, but there was no denying that Perth was her home.''

Yesterday, the Ten Network declined to confirm speculation that it plans to move its news bulletin back to Perth next year.

It has been reported that Dragun sent a text message to Struthers minutes before she died.

There were also reports that she had recently changed her depression medication.

Brain and Mind Research Institute executive director Ian Hickie said it was common for people suffering from depression to make short- and long-term plans to divert their attention from the depressive episodes that plague them.

He also said it was a myth that women were less likely to attempt to take their own lives.

"Women attempt suicide much more often than men; tragically, men succeed much more often than women because on the whole they choose more lethal means.''

- The Australian



A wedding only a few months off.

I guess it just goes to show just how deeply depressed Charmaine must have been.

She must have known that she had a lot to live for considering she was set to get married and start a family next year to her childhood sweetheart. Sadly though, in the end that obviously just wasn't enough to keep her from ending her life.

I guess we'll never understand why, nobody except Charmaine knows that. What bothers me is the fact that Charmaine isn't alone, many people go through this kind of thing all the time and at least if there is anything positive to come out of this it's that Charmaine has helped to shed light on just how much suicide affects family and friends and that may help to stop others from doing the same thing.

It just gets sadder as day is going by


That's what is so sad - from our point of view everything points to her having everything she wanted. A great career, a loving partner and family, wonderful friends, and on I can go.


There was obviously more affecting Charmaine than we know. It's just so sad that she didn't reach out for help. Charmaine is one of those people that could have had anything she wanted, and all she had to do was ask for help with this. I just wish I could turn the clock back and I would fly to Sydney to stop her from doing it - she had so much going for her, and none of it really makes sense in my head.


We can only hope that others contemplating the same thing look at the outpouring of grief for Charmaine and see that no matter what, there are always people around you who can help you through your situation.

It's still just so sad

Be interesting to see if Charmaine gets a mention in today's Ten News. I'm still at work at the moment so I can't see Ten News now, but it is recording so I'll watch later

Isn't the first story. Also, Tim is presenting solo (as expected).

Tim said a few words at the end of the bulletin.

Damn it, I knew he would do that. My PC at home would have changed over to TVW before the bulletin ended.

Was anyone else recording the end of the bulletin?

Nice to see the ABC's Media Watch running a slate at the end of their program in memory of Charmaine.

Don't quote me verbatim, but all that he said was: Words cannot express it; Charmaine's passing has left a hole in our hearts.


Simple yet touching. Well done for that.

Yeah good on them for doing that.

Only a baby

[ Edited on November 6 2007 at 10:46am by DIY ]

Cheers for the cap, Smacca

I'm relatively new here.This is so so sad.Charmaine was so beautiful and a professional at reading the news.Her voice would just melt you.I'm not a very religious person, but I do pray that she is now in a better place and has found peace, love and understanding she yearned for.An angel in Heaven.R.I.P.

A PUBLIC memorial service to celebrate the life of Network Ten news anchor Charmaine Dragun will be held in Perth next week.

The body of the 29-year-old journalist was found at The Gap, in Sydney's east, on Friday after she plunged to her death following a battle with depression.

Ms Dragun was a popular and respected member of the Perth media community and dedicated to many charities, including the Pink Ribbon Ball and fund-raising for the Perth Zoo.

A celebration of Ms Dragun's life will be held at All Saints Church at Greenwood at 2pm on Monday.

The celebration will continue at Cassia Court, Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park, Whitfords Ave, Pinnaroo, where the main eulogy will be delivered.

A private cremation will be held at a later date.

Her family have requested donations be made to Beyond Blue in lieu of flowers.

- Perthnow

Ten News Story from Today

Fittingly, they gave Charmaine the entire first block. Emotional tributes from her parents, friends and of course, Simon. Beautiful service

Very fitting indeed, well done Ten


That was a very emotional story. I thought it was difficult to watch at times and her family and Simon held up pretty well considering what they've been through.

It's still just a shame that Charmaine has gone. Today's service proves just how popular and how loved she was. I would have went myself if I didn't have to work today. RIP Charmaine

Charmaine sharing the lead story with George Grljusich on TVW News

Same on STW.

I forgot to watch Ten News tonight so I missed it. Did Tim still host? I would have thought he'd be in Perth for the service.

Did anyone video the Ten News coverage?

And cartman, I believe Tim was at the service.

I recorded it. Haven't done anything with it yet though


He flew back to Sydney on the same day? The news was from the Sydney studio... I doubt he could have made it back in time. Didn't they also have a service in Sydney today though?

I'm not sure. AAP had a story where Tim spoke and said she had never looked so beautiful than on the last day she presented - last Thursday... And he also mentioned how he loved reading with her or something like that...

Probably in the video tribute that was played.

There's no way that Tim would have attended the Perth service and managed to get back to Sydney in time for the 5pm news.

I got a video... look further up/a page back

Thanks

Here is the entire first block of tonight's Ten News Perth, which was dedicated to Charmaine

+10News-Charmaine-12112007.wmv
15.2MB

Oh good, I don't have to do it.

Thanks for the videos Ben and normangerman

Thanks guys

Her story even made it to the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7077678.stm

The story also has a comment from AM.

I'm surprised at all those comments/tributes from around the world. More surprising than seeing AM and other internet sites being quoted by the BBC, of all outlets.

Sky News UK used my Tribute video on their website as well

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1291534,00.html