Jamie Dunn, a veteran radio personality who unleashed Agro puppetry in Australia, entertaining children and adults alike for decades, has died aged 76.
Dunn, who was once Australia’s longest-serving breakfast radio host, died on Saturday.
The Brisbane radio presenter, who made his clever, furry Agro Vation puppet out of a bath mat, is remembered as a larrikin and entertainer.
Introducing Agro on the Seven Network children’s show Wombat in the 1980s, Dunn also brought his creation to Agro’s Cartoon Connection, which aired on the network from 1990 to 1997.
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In radio, Dunn co-hosted Brisbane’s top-rated breakfast show on B105 for 16 years before leaving the show in 2005.
Other radio personalities have remembered Dunn for his sassy, unapologetic humor.
His Cartoon Connection co-host Jill Ray-Black said Dunn was one of those people you would never forget.
“You either loved him or you hated him and sometimes both at the same time!!!!” he said on social media.
Ranger Stacey, who worked with Dunn on television, said his death had left a huge void.
“Jamie was brilliant, hilarious, witty and, above all, a kind and loyal friend,” he told television industry news site TV Blackbox.
For 10 years, Robin Bailey sat across from Dunn on B105, where she said he taught her the craft behind her “legendary” storytelling ability.
“Jamie was a pioneer in our industry. I am so grateful to have been in his orbit,” she said.
4BC radio presenter Gary Hardgrave paid tribute to his old friend and said he was a true artist.
He said Dunn always liked to joke around, take the “you know what” out of things, but he was also a family man who had several children from a couple of marriages.
“He had a lot of fun in his life. He had some challenges in his life, but he was always entertaining throughout his life,” Hardgrave said.
Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner paid tribute to the quick wit of “Brisbane’s proud talent” who had brought joy to millions of children like him growing up in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Agro’s Cartoon Connection was a daily dose of chaos, laughter and cheeky humor,” he said.
In December, Dunn said he had been in talks with Channel 7 to bring back a one-hour Agro Up Late special in 2026.
