Ray Wilkie, a well-known weatherman for Channel 10, passed away at the age of 98. The devastating news was revealed on Saturday night by Brisbane 4BC radio broadcaster Spencer Hoswon, who claimed to have received it from Wilkie’s son.

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Who was Ray Wilkie?

Ray Wilkie was a weatherman for Channel 10. After serving his country in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II, he began his famous career.

After serving in the military, Wilkie sought academic achievement, earning a Bachelor of Science from the University of Queensland before beginning studies in meteorology in Melbourne.

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After that, Wilkie spent the next three decades working for the Bureau of Meteorology, rising to significant positions including regional director in Darwin and Brisbane. He received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1984 for his contributions to the community’s meteorology.

Wilkie then went on to become the Bureau’s first expert to shift into television reporting. Since the news of Wilkie’s passing on the weekend, heartfelt tributes to the presenter have surfaced online.

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His forecasts started to appear in national late-night newscasts in the 1990s, giving him national prominence, and his reputation only continued to grow. Wilkie went on to contribute to the creation of Northern Australia’s Tropical Cyclone Warning Service.

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Ray had surgery at Greenslopes Private Hospital in 2020 to treat a gastrointestinal issue that, in his words, “saved his life.” The Brisbane Weather Facebook page held a lot of his contacts. “RIP Ray Wilkie,” they said. “He was a good man and well respected.”