Ita Buttrose facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ita Buttrose
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Buttrose in June 2014
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| Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation | |
| In office 28 February 2019 – March 6 2024 |
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| Nominated by | Scott Morrison |
| Governor-General | Peter Cosgrove |
| Deputy | Kirstin Ferguson |
| Preceded by | Kirstin Ferguson (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Kim Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ita Clare Buttrose
17 January 1942 Potts Point, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Children | 2 |
| Residences | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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Ita Clare Buttrose (born 17 January 1942) is a famous Australian media personality. She has worked in many areas of media. She was a magazine editor, a journalist, an author, and a television executive.
Ita Buttrose helped start Cleo magazine. This magazine was very popular with young women. Later, she became the editor of The Australian Women's Weekly. She was the youngest person ever to edit The Weekly. At that time, it was the biggest-selling magazine in the world for its size.
From 2013 to 2018, Buttrose was a regular on the TV show Studio 10. In 2019, she became the Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). This is a very important role in Australian media. She held this position for five years.
Contents
Early Life and Journalism Start
Ita Buttrose was born in Sydney, Australia, on 17 January 1942. Her father, Charles Oswald Buttrose, was also a journalist. He was once the editor of The Daily Mirror. Ita decided she wanted to be a journalist when she was only 11 years old.
She spent her first five years living in New York City. Her father was working there as a journalist. In 1949, her family moved back to Australia. They settled in Vaucluse, a suburb near the harbour.
Ita left school at 15 to begin her career. She started at a company called Australian Consolidated Press. She worked as a "copy girl" at The Australian Women's Weekly. Then she became a cadet journalist for The Daily Telegraph. Her first story was published in 1959. She was only 17 when she covered Princess Alexandra's visit to Australia.
Career Highlights in Media
Ita Buttrose became the women's editor of the Telegraph when she was just 23. In 1967, she worked for a British magazine called Woman's Own. She returned to Australia after her daughter, Kate, was born.
Starting Cleo Magazine
In 1971, Ita was chosen to start a new women's magazine. It was going to be an Australian version of Cosmopolitan. But the deal didn't work out. So, Ita and her boss, Sir Frank Packer, created a new magazine. They called it Cleo.
Cleo was launched in 1972 and was an instant success. All the first copies sold out in just two days. Cleo was groundbreaking for Australian magazines. Ita continued to work even when she was pregnant with her second child, Ben. This was very unusual for women at that time.
Leading Major Magazines
Ita edited Cleo until 1975. Then she became the editor of The Australian Women's Weekly. From 1976 to 1978, she was editor-in-chief of both magazines. She then became the Publisher of Australian Consolidated Press Women's Division.
In 1981, she left to work for Rupert Murdoch. She became Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph. This made her the first woman to edit a major city newspaper in Australia. She also had her own radio show called 'Ita'. In 1980, the rock band Cold Chisel even wrote a song about her called "Ita".
Public Service and Publishing
From 1984 to 1988, Buttrose led the National Advisory Committee on AIDS (NACAIDS). She even appeared on TV to explain that donating blood was safe. This helped calm fears about AIDS. She also had a weekly advice column in Woman’s Day magazine.
Later, Ita started her own publishing companies. She launched her own magazine called Ita in 1989. She also published bark!, a magazine for dog owners.
Television Appearances
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Ita Buttrose has been a familiar face on Australian television for many years. She was a regular on the show Beauty and the Beast. She also appeared often on the breakfast show Today.
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In 2013, Ita joined Network Ten to host Studio 10. She hosted the show a few mornings a week. In 2016, she reduced her appearances to spend more time with her grandchildren. She even made a small appearance in an episode of The Bold and the Beautiful in 2017.
In April 2018, Buttrose left Studio 10. She wanted to focus on other things, like writing and her family. In 2019, she was appointed Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). She served a five-year term in this important role. She decided not to seek another term and finished in March 2024.
Other Important Roles
Ita Buttrose is also a successful author. She has written many books, including her life story, A Passionate Life. She also wrote A Guide to Australian Etiquette.
She has been a patron or ambassador for many important groups. These include:
- Women of Vision
- World Vision Australia
- The Macular Disease Foundation of Australia
- The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation of Australia
- The Australian Women Chamber of Commerce (AWCCI)
Awards and Recognition
Ita Buttrose has received many awards for her work and contributions.
- In 1979, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
- In 1988, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
- In 2003, she received the Centenary Medal.
- In 2019, she was advanced to Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). This is a very high honour.
In 2017, she received an award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in Journalism. In 1984, she was named 'Personality of the Year' by the Variety Club.
In 2011, a TV movie was made about Ita and the start of Cleo magazine. It was called Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo.
In January 2013, Ita Buttrose was named the Australian of the Year. This is one of Australia's highest honours. She has also received honorary degrees from several universities. These degrees recognise her great service to society and her role as an inspiration.
Personal Life
Ita Buttrose married architect Alasdair "Mac" Macdonald when she was 21. They had two children together. Later, she married Peter Sawyer in 1979, but that marriage also ended.
Ita cared for her father after he became ill with vascular dementia. He passed away in 1999.
Selected Books by Ita Buttrose
Ita Buttrose has written or co-written many books, including:
- A Guide to Australian Etiquette (2011)
- Eating for Eye Health: the Macular Degeneration Cookbook (2009)
- Motherguilt: Australian women reveal their true feelings about Motherhood (2005)
- A Passionate Life (1998)
- Every Occasion: The Guide to Modern Etiquette (1985)
Images for kids
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Ita Buttrose at La Traviata at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2012
