Sports broadcaster and journalist Tim Gavel was the voice of Canberra sport for more than three decades, his distinctive tones shaping memories of many great sporting events and moments at local, national and international level.
Growing up in Condobolin, an early passion for radio saw young Tim’s bedroom morphed into a makeshift studio with egg cartons lining the walls to improve the sound quality. Following this passion, he spent the 1980s sleeping in the back of his ute while traversing country New South Wales and Queensland searching for that elusive job in radio.
In December 1988, he joined the ABC Sports department, his big break coming when thrown in the deep end to call a Raiders game against the Balmain Tigers.
In over 30-plus years behind the mic, his work ethic was legendary.
“Tireless Tim” reported and commentated on just about every sport you can imagine. Locally, his calls became particularly synonymous with the Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies.
In 1992 he was selected for his first Olympic Games coverage in Barcelona, the one-metre springboard diving and Greco-Roman wrestling testing his commentary skills. In total he would report on seven Olympic Games, seven Commonwealth Games and the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
Tim was named ABC Sports Broadcaster of the Year on three occasions, received an Order of Australia Medal in 2014 for services to broadcasting and the community, and was named ACT Local Hero for 2009.
He retired from the commentary box at the end of the Canberra Raiders 2025 campaign.