Jim Hault, 84, on Feb. 4. Born in Calgary, Hault started his radio career with CJCA Edmonton in 1962. In 1967, he relocated to Vancouver, first joining CJOR, with stints to follow at CKLG in 1968, CFUN in 1973, and CKNW in 1983. After parting ways with CKNW in 1992, Hault continued to serve as the imaging voice for Global BC until 2011. He also lent his voice to many documentary projects over the years, including Battle for the Trees (1993), Coquihalla – Highway 5: 20 Months Through the Mountains (1986) and Vancouver: Focus on Expo 86 (1986).
George Ross Robertson, 89, on Jan. 29. Born in Brampton, ON, over the course of a more than 60-year stage, film and TV career, Robertson enjoyed over 80 roles, best known for appearing in the original Police Academy film and six sequels as Chief Hurst. Robertson held roles in three separate films nominated for Best Picture, including Airport (1970), Norma Rae (1979) and JFK (1991), in addition to appearances in Rosemary’s Baby (1968), National Lampoon’s Senior Trip (1995), and Murder at 1600 (1997), among other film and television roles. He was honoured with the Margaret Collier Award in 1993, recognizing his writing work in film and television. A UNICEF ambassador, among other causes he was dedicated to, Robertson was named Humanitarian of the Year at the Gemini Awards in 2004. He received the Danny Kaye UNICEF Canada award in 1990.
George C. Robertson, 93, on Jan. 1. Robertson sold his first radio play to CBC Vancouver in the late 1940s while studying at UBC with Canadian poet Earle Birney’s Creative Writing class. After completing a post-graduate fellowship in Creative Writing at Iowa State, Robertson returned to Canada and took up work as a writer with the National Film Board in Ottawa. He returned to Vancouver in 1953 and joined CBC as a radio producer, directing shows like” Jazz Workshop”, “Hotel Downbeat”, and drama series “Don Quixote” and “The Amateur Gentleman.” Robertson eventually moved into television, working on network documentaries for “Explorations” and “Here And Now” and producing variety program, “A Show Called X”, as well as interview music series, “Night Beat.” He went on to join CBC Ottawa as executive producer of current affairs series “Something Else”, followed by CBC Toronto in 1971 where he produced several historical programs before joining Current Affairs the following year. From 1984 until his retirement in 1989, Robertson was a producer for the “fifth estate”, specializing in short documentaries.
