After a period of poor health, former radio announcer Alex Zastera has died aged 78 in Brisbane. After 16 years working in the toy industry, he finally made his radio debut at 3MA Mildura. He went on to work on air at stations including 4CD, 4GG, 7EX, 5DN, 5AN, Radio 97, 2WEB, 4AK (also General Manager) and 5MU.

A keen Brisbane Lions/Fitzroy fan, he was born to Czechoslovakian parents and grew up in Melbourne. His early radio idols were Norman Swain and Ron Cadee who both worked at 3KZ.

Alex once shared with Jocks’ Journal about his very first radio shift at 3MA Mildura. “I remember my first night on air. The supervising announcer was Leigh Butler and he’d been asked to sit in with me during my first air shift. During a music sweep he went to the toilet and I started to panic when he didn’t come back quickly. I didn’t realise that my microphone was left on and for a few minutes and I was screaming things like – “Hey Leigh, are you off the dunny yet?”.

He’s survived by his wife Vivian and four children.