| Fiona MacDonald | |
|---|---|
| Born | Fiona Frances MacDonald (1957-05-27)27 May 1957 Blackall, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 3 October 2024(2024-10-03) (aged 67) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Television presenter |
| Family | Jacki MacDonald (sister) |
Fiona Frances MacDonald (27 May 1957 – 3 October 2024) was an Australian television presenter.
Life and career
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2024) |
MacDonald was raised on a cattle property in the outback town of Blackall, Queensland. She had two sisters, Kylie and Jacki MacDonald, the latter also a television presenter.
MacDonald appeared on local television in Queensland before going on to national programs such as children's show Wombat and the local version of British game show It's a Knockout. While hosting Wombat, she was featured in the "A Day in the Life" series by The Australian Women's Weekly. After leaving It's a Knockout, MacDonald became a wine expert. She also was writer and co-editor of the student newspaper Woroni in the 1990s.
Personal life and death
She married in the 1990s and had two sons.
MacDonald was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in November 2021. She undertook a drive around Australia with her sister, Kylie Thynne, in mid-2023 to raise funds for research into the disease, and talked about her experience with it in an October 2023 episode of Australian Story. She died on 3 October 2024, at the age of 67.
References
- "MacDonald, Fiona Frances". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "Former children's TV host Fiona MacDonald dies aged 67 after motor neurone disease diagnosis". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ Cain, Sian (3 October 2024). "Fiona MacDonald, It's a Knockout and Wombat host, dies aged 67 after MND diagnosis". The Guardian.
- Taylor, Beth. "It's a Knockout". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- Maxfield, Liane (9 June 1982). "A day in the life of Fiona MacDonald". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 49, no. 51. Peter Ford, photographer. Australia. p. 80. Retrieved 6 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- "THE NAKED GUN 2 1/2 THE SMELL OF FEAR". Woroni. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 15 September 1991. p. 19. Retrieved 7 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- "the underworld oracle Fiona's Despair and Woroni's Chaos: Yep, the Oracle's Back". Woroni. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 1 May 1991. p. 3. Retrieved 7 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- "Roving Rogues". Woroni. Vol. 44, no. 1. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 1 February 1992. p. 33. Retrieved 7 October 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- Hornery, Andrew (8 July 2023). "She was an afternoon TV star for a generation of kids. Now she's asking for their help". The Sydney Morning Herald.