Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/884700
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2017 2 DENISE GRECH THE popular broadcaster, jour- nalist and TV and radio present- er Susan Mulvaney, passed away early yesterday morning at 7am at the age of 71. Mulvaney passed away after a short battle with cancer. The veteran presenter, whose career spanned over 40 years, was a pioneer in broadcasting. She was known for her educa- tional programmes and appeared on multiple national stations such as PBS and Radio RTK. As one of the first female jour- nalists in Malta, Mulvaney was seen as a trailblazer for the eman- cipation of women in broadcast- ing. Her programmes, which touched on topics such as health and education, were some of the first to be presented by a woman. In 1964, Mulvaney became the first female journalist trainee at Labour media outlet Union Press. She later went on to be- come sub editor of the newspa- per l-Orizzont. She went on to take over the women's programme on Radju Malta Wiehed and eventually became one of the first employ- ees at RTK, where she produced family and lifestyle shows. Mulvaney's passion for social and family needs led her to pub- lish books on social affairs and etiquette, as well as recipe books. In 2000, she was nominated as Worker of the Year for her con- tribution to the Media Centre. Philanthropy was also a great priority for Mulvaney, who founded the Malta Osteoporo- sis Society and the Association of School Councils. She also worked with prison inmates and irregular immigrants, and was appointed to the Prison Board where she worked to improve the conditions of inmates at the Cor- radino Correctional Facility. She was appointed a member of the Visitors Board of prisons in 2007, a position she held till her death. As a member of the Forensic Unit evaluation board, she also considered the conditions of the Mount Carmel and Police head- quarters lock up. Her work for Frontex saw her accompanying airplanes from Rome, Spain and Germany to take irregular migrants back to their home country. Mulvaney was married to Charles Sacco and had two chil- dren, Marika and Daniela. In a social media post, Presi- dent Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca thanked Mulvaney for her contri- bution to Maltese broadcasting. The Labour Party and the Na- tionalist party also expressed their condolences. "It would be a mistake to dismiss Mulvaney's work as just cookery shows," Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said. "As one of the first female figures in broadcasting, she was a trailblazer whose pro- grammes presented information to housewives who did not have access to information on health at the time." News Susan Mulvaney, a trailblazer for women in broadcasting, dies at 71 Susan Mulvaney died at 71 yesterday after losing her battle with cancer (Photo: Gino Galea) "She was a trailblazer whose programmes presented information to housewives who did not have access to information on health at the time."