Friday, October 07, 2011

Diana Gribble R.I.P.

A tribute in the weekend issue of Crikey:

We know we're not alone in mourning Diana Gribble, our publisher and friend, who passed away this week.

And while Text Publishing head Michael Heywood writes today "you can't understand Australian publishing without knowing about Diana Gribble", we know her loss is not just felt in that sector, either.

They mourn in broadcasting, where she was a deputy chairman of the ABC. In music, where she was a director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In government and bureaucracy, where she helped guide the Australia Council and the Melbourne Major Events Company. From Lonely Planet to Circus Oz, she was a towering figure -- in her pretenseless, unassuming way -- over Australia's cultural landscape.

She was a shrewd businesswoman and canny negotiator. But above all she celebrated and championed creativity and independent thought. It's that -- rarer than it might seem -- we will all miss the most.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I hadn't worked for Text for years but when I heard that Di had passed away, a soul sadness crept over me. I thought someone like Di would just go on forever. She was one of the most decent human beings I have ever worked with. She was always there to listen and advise. I know she'll be sadly missed by anyway who had the privilege of knowing her. RIP Di.

A. Skowron