Mona Swinton, a pioneering community radio presenter, died on August 10 at the age of 102 at Warrnambool.
She presented two programs on 3WAY for many years until 2020.
In an interview, she said that she was from London, Ontario, Canada and attended high school before working as a decoder during the Second World War.
In 1940, I answered an ad for a job in New York, which was the Mecca for young Canadians.
I was one of five women from London who got the job. My mother did not know about the job until she saw the travel papers.
After a week, we went to New York. The job involved using an Enigma Code Breaker machine, which was a type of typewriter that looked similar to a typewriter.
However, it operated in a different manner. The machine had five narrow wheels that scattered the alphabet across them.
The letter appeared in print after you pressed the key. The office was located on the first floor of the Rockefeller Center, which was on Fifth Avenue.
It was very normal to see prominent individuals walking around the area. The job finished and I stayed in the office until the war ended.
After retiring from Canada, Mona worked for the Australian Mission in the United Nations. In 1984, she became a part of CREW FM, which was a community radio station.
She presented programs such as Afternoon Delight and Stardust. The station’s office was located in her spare room, which she referred to as thedungeon.
In a statement, the station said that Mona was a dedicated and passionate individual who had a long career with 3WAY FM.
She was a member of the station’s foundation and also served as a producer and presenter. She leaves a legacy of great achievements and friendships with the station’s crew.
The station expressed its condolences to Mona’s family and friends and said that she will be greatly missed.
A memorial service for Mona will be held on Monday, August 19, at 10.30am at the Eastern Park Chapel in Warrnambool.