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Three senior ABC staff including WA-born veteran journalist Paul Lockyer, have been killed in a helicopter crash in South Australia.

Pilot Gary Ticehurst, Lockyer and cameraman John Bean were killed in the crash in the Lake Eyre region.
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It will dampen the celebration today for the 50th anniversary of the ABC's Four Corners program - a weekly long form current affairs program that is an institution in Australia. This is a great article on the milestone:
Four Corners: raising a ruckus for 50 years - The Drum (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-18/holmes-four-corners-causing-a-stink-for-50-years/2845346)

Pilot Gary Ticehurst was also the chopper pilot that did the low level flying (between the city buildings) scenes in The Matrix.

Camera men talk about how he would pretty much line up a shot with his flying of the helicopter and all the cameraman had to do was to press the record button for award winning cinematography.

Andrew

Awful! Very sad. And very tragic.

They were the genuine gold, all of them as I see it.


It is a damn shame they have ended when they were in a period of their careers to enjoy a project that undoubtedly gave them as much personal pleasure to undertake as an audience to view, Lake Eyre.