Basia Rendall (née Bonkowski), television producer and former presenter, has died following a battle with lymphoma.
Born in Adelaide, she first became ill with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 17. The diagnosis led to her re-evaluating her interests and changed her studies from law to studying English, Literature and Drama at Flinders University.
She became a drama teacher in Adelaide and featured in a short film, Letters From Poland, with Martin Vaughan.
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By 1980 she made the move to Sydney and became one of the first presenters on the new multicultural Channel 0/28 (now SBS), and later became host of pop music shows Rock Around The World and Continental Drift.
She then moved to the Ten Network as a host of Music Video and showbiz reporter for Good Morning Australia. She later reported for the Seven Network‘s Eleven AM before returning to SBS to host The Big Byte.
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Over the last two decades, she has worked as a television writer and producer, with credits including the long-running factual series RBT.
She has also published two books: Jesse’s World, inspired by her experiences as an adoptive parent, and Shimmer, based on her mother’s life.
In 2019 she was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from Flinders University for her significant contribution to the creative arts as a television producer and presenter, author and movie reviewer.
The lymphona she suffered as a teenager returned last year. She passed away peacefully on the weekend, surrounded by family.
Basia Rendall is survived by her husband, director Kimble Rendall, and children William and Camille.
Source: 9Honey, Australian Screen
