Australian Music TV Legend Basia Rendall Has Passed Away

The Australian broadcast media and music industries are in mourning today, following the passing of trailblazing TV host Basia Rendall (nee Bonkowski).

An icon of Australian music and television, and a celebrated academic, Basia was best known by Aussie music fans for presenting the forward-thinking SBS music shows Rock Around the World and Continental Drift. 

Basia also presented SBS's legendary Channel 0-28"nightly line-up (in the style later parodied by comedian Marg Downey on Fast Forward), The Big Byte and Network 10's music video shows. 

Renowned for both her talent and her unique sense of style, Basia was a cult hero in Australia's alternative music scene. 

Such was the immensity of Basia's influence and status in 1980s Aussie music, the Melbourne band Painters & Dockers penned a song in her honour in 1986 called Basia. 

Her career continued to blossom when she moved to work behind the scenes as a television writer and producer, having a profound impact. Her final decade of life saw her serve as Executive Producer for Screentime and Endemol Shine where she produced RBT for Channel Nine.   

Basia also experienced a rich personal life, she married director Kimble Rendall in 1982, (Garage Days, Cut) and adopted two children, William and Camille. 

Basia wrote a book about the experience of overseas adoption called Jesse's World which was published in 2005. A renowned academic, Basia completed a Master of Letters at the University of Sydney in 2006. Basia published a second book Shimmer, based on her mother’s life, in 2009. Basia had continued working until days before her passing and it is reported that at the time of her death, she had plans to write another book. 

Considered 'Australia's first lady of music' Basia Rendall passed away from cancer over the weekend in Sydney, surrounded by her family.