Graham Mabury
Class of 1963
Class of 1963
Broadcaster & Social Justice Leader
After leaving school, Graham studied at UWA and worked as a music teacher. A different path called, however, and Graham moved into pastoral work with the Baptist Church. Since that time, as a Pastor with Mount Pleasant Baptist Church and patron of many charities, Graham has been an advocate for social justice, helping the homeless, mentally ill and the lonely.
In 1974, Graham joined a group of 20 individuals, including those with and without church affiliations. Their goal was to support homeless youth, a group many in the community at the time denied even existed. The eventual result was Mission Australia, now a well established and highly esteemed charity.
For 33 years, Graham Mabury was a light in the darkness for hundreds of thousands of radio listeners in Perth. As the host of Radio 6PR's popular Nightline program, Graham was more than a voice across the airwaves, going above and beyond the call of duty to provide companionship and compassion, entertainment and encouragement for people from all walks of life.
In 1986, Graham established Lifeline WA in response to community need for counselling services. From humble beginnings with just a couple of off-air counsellors in the 6PR building, Lifeline has since evolved into a 24-hour counselling and support service which reaches out to thousands of people in need. It provides Crisis Support, Lone Fathers, Family Support, Santa's Workshop and life skills seminars for secondary school students. There are also other Nightline initiatives - the Living Stone Foundation was formed to oversee the Off Air Counselling Service and the Nightline Christmas Appeal, the Nightline Blanket Appeal and the Charity Link Appeal evolved.
He is a well respected public speaker, often sought out in corporate, government and education fields. He has served on a number of Boards, including the Juvenile Justice Advisory Council, the Advisory Committee of the Secondary Education Authority, and the St John Board of Ethics.
Graham has received many honours for his outstanding public service. Among them are an Order of Australia Medal, Western Australian Citizen of the Year for Community Service, Fellow of Edith Cowan University, Volunteer of the Year, the Rona Oakley Award for Individual Achievement (WA Consumer Protection Awards), the Advance Australia Award and Rotary's Paul Harris Fellow.
Graham's longevity has largely been due to his genuine concern and compassion for others and to his incredible ability to communicate to people from all walks of life in a way they can understand and respect.
As he said when he announced his retirement, "In an industry where careers are measured in terms of weeks or months, it's been an absolute honour and a privilege to be on air for thirty-three years".
Graham continues as the Pastor to the Community at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.