ABC Legend With 45-Year Career Dies of Thyroid Cancer: Peter Ryan Was 64

A legendary ABC journalist has died.

Peter Ryan, who retired from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in June, passed away from metastatic thyroid cancer, his family confirmed to ABC News. He was 64.

Ryan was first diagnosed in 2014 and retired after 45 years in the industry last month as he moved into palliative care. He wanted to focus more on his family and friends, including wife Mary Cotter and daughter Charlotte. ABC News director Justin Stevens said Ryan left a “significant legacy.”

“Through his mentorship, friendship, and professionalism, he directly touched the lives of many at the ABC,” Stevens said. “Through his journalism, he had a profound impact on the lives of Australians and our society. It was a privilege to know him and work alongside him.”

Former ABC News Breakfast presenter Michael Rowland shared that Ryan “represented the very best of the ABC.” He continued, “He was scrupulously fair and was committed to accuracy and facts. There was never any agenda in his reporting. That is why he was held in such high regard by his colleagues and the ABC audience. I learnt so much from him.”

Ryan began his career as a copyboy and cadet on Sydney’s Daily Mirror. He later joined the ABC and throughout his lengthy career, he was the ABC’s Washington bureau chief, head of TV news and current affairs in Victoria, executive producer of Business Breakfast, founding editor of Lateline Business, and the ABC’s business editor. He also served as a senior business correspondent beginning in 2016 until he retired. In 2017, for his exposé on the Commonwealth Bank scandal, Ryan won a Walkley Award, which recognizes excellence in journalism in Australia.

Peter Ryan was the National Press Club finance journalist of the year in 2018 for his coverage of the banking royal commission. In 2022, Ryan was recognized with the Order of Australia medal for his significant service to journalism.

“A good team can often be a very small team — I’ve worked in some of the best,” Ryan said in his note for “younger and older colleagues alike” when he left the ABC. “Be proactive — come to the table with a great story so no-one else comes up with a dud that might waste your time. Work closely with top people — shut up and absorb like a sponge. Maintain a fastidious contact book — some low-profile contacts could soon move into higher-powered roles or, more importantly, work in backrooms where the big decisions are often made.”

“Show up to work early and prove that you’re ready to take on the big story of the day,” he continued. “Try to have a Plan B in your back pocket just in case your original brilliant idea doesn’t go anywhere and the EP comes walking your way. Finally: Be kind and caring to people who need it.”