Our longstanding teaching colleague in Radio and our department,
Heather Bond, passed away peacefully at her home in Ibiza in the summer
of 2011.
Heather retired in 2010 after teaching undergraduate and postgraduate
courses in the Radio Section since 1999.
Before joining us as an associate lecturer, Heather had a distinguished
career with the BBC and broadcasting since 1964 after beginning her
working life teaching English and music in secondary schools in Birmingham.
She worked her way up through the roles of studio manager, producer,
staff training officer, senior producer & assistant to the Head of
Region and Regional Editor, South Asia. Heather was a renaissance
woman of broadcasting and made a significant contribution to the BBC
World Service. For a long time many people joining the service, including
foreign correspondents, would meet her in her role as staff training
officer including the BBC’s correspondents in Delhi, Mumbai and Madras.
She was involved in the setting up and recruiting of staff for the
Nepali and Pashto services, wrote, adapted and produced all types
of programmes in current affairs, business, sport, culture and drama
in London & overseas in English and other languages.
She spoke French, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Nepali and such
was her international experience it was difficult to think of a country
in the world that she had not visited to teach radio and communicate.
She directed joint BBC and UNICEF education and audio drama projects
in Nigeria, Pakistan, Nepal, Mozambique, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania,
and even facilitated a BBC television filming unit in Kathmandu at
Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas.
When recruited to teach courses at Goldsmiths, the Secretary-General
of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, Elizabeth Smith, said
she would prove ‘very good value’ to the students and the then commissioning
editor of the BBC World Service, Alexander Thomson, said she could
offer unrivalled expertise and enthusiasm.
Generations of students in the department have had the benefit of
a genuine jewel in the crown of broadcasting training and education.
She was of a generation that was unflappable in the midst of crisis.
When well into her 60s and London was gridlocked by a snowstorm two
years ago, she metaphorically 'snow-ploughed and skied down' from
North London in her car to be on station one hour early preparing
to teach her students and could not understand why the college had
to shut down for the day.
She was also responsible for introducing Neil Bull to the Department
who has proved to be an invaluable human asset.
The flowers sent by the college to her funeral included the following
message: 'From her friends, students and colleagues at Goldsmiths,
University of London. In memory of an elegant lecturer who taught
her students how to make good radio.'
