Peter Leonard (journalist)

Peter Antony Leonard (21 February 1942 – 23 September 2008) was an Australian journalist and newsreader.

Biography
He was born in Yass, New South Wales, the son of a Greek immigrant father who died when Peter was 17. He was educated at Yass Primary School then at Canberra Grammar School as a boarder. The family moved to Canberra in 1956.

Leonard had a number of jobs over his 45-year career history, commencing it at Canberra radio station 2CA in 1962, initially as a cadet copywriter and later as an announcer and newsreader. He moved to ABC Canberra in 1982 as a radio newsreader and later television newsreader and weather presenter. However, in his most recognisable role, Leonard presented WIN News in Canberra from 1991 until 20 July 2007.

From 1970 to 1988 he was also the media director for the National Capital Development Commission. From 1993 to 2003 he was head of national communications for the Pharmacy Guild.

He was an active participant in several charitable organisations. From 1989 to 1998 he was on the board of the ACT Cancer Council and also served on the board of the ACT Multiple Sclerosis Society. He became Honorary Ambassador for Canberra and the Canberra Citizen of the Year for 1991 in recognition of his community service and charity work.

In December 2007 he won the Chief Minister-Public Relations Institute of Australia (ACT Division) Award for Community Media. He was the first individual to receive the award.

Leonard was diagnosed with mesothelioma in January 2008 and died on 23 September 2008, aged 66. He was survived by his wife Gwen, children Matthew, Natasha and Nathan and grandchildren, Rachel, Phoebe, Sarah, Madeline, Nicholas and Thomas.

The funeral service for Peter Leonard was held on 29 September 2008, at All Saints Church of England, Ainslie. Family, friends and colleagues were among those in attendance.

It was announced (at the funeral service) in September 2008 that a journalism scholarship funded by the ACT Government and WIN-TV would be named in his honour.

Peter Leonard Scholarship
The Peter Leonard Scholarship aims to recognise the extraordinary talents of some University of Canberra Journalism students each year. Winners receive $5000 and a two-week internship at WIN Television in Canberra. At least two runners-up each receive $1000 and a one-week internship at WIN.

Winners
2009 – Lisa Mosley 2010 – Philip Prior 2011 – Gabrielle Adams 2012 – Ashley Leal 2013 – Katarina Slavich 2014 – Alkira Reinfrank 2015 – Alison Hattley 2016 – Naomi Avery 2018 – Lewis Haskew 2019 – Laura Gale 2021 – Brooke Roff

Runners-up
2009 – Andrew Day, Kevin Room and Rahima Saikal 2010 – Ewan Gilbert and Lucy Zelic 2011 – Grace Keyworth and Alana Shegog 2012 – Dion Pretorius and Olivia Neethyrajah 2013 – Charlene Broad