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Former Radio City, Caroline South and Radio London DJ Norman St John, has died
DATELINE 22nd September 2026
Norman wa
s born in Healsville, Australia on 12th May 1943.He began his radio career at 14 as a panel operator on 3UZ Melbourne and when he was 16 he became a presenter on 3CS, a rural station outside Melbourne. Over the next few years Norman worked on a number of other Australian radio stations and for a while he was also a television announcer.
Following some health problems he set off on a world tour and, after working for Lloyd Triestino on the cruise ship the ‘Marconi’ he arrived in the UK in 1965 where,after a chance meeting with the station's owner, Reg Calvert, he joined Radio City . However he only stayed for two short shifts because he was dissatisfied with conditions on Shivering Sands Fort and the state of the equipment used by the station.
Several weeks later at a record company function he met Bill Hearne, then Programme Director at Radio Caroline, and was offered a job on Caroline South. Norman joined Caroline in July 1965, initially as a news-
In July 1966 Norman joined Radio London, where he stayed until February 1967.
After a short time with Radio Luxembourg he returned to Australia and worked in radio and television for about ten years. He then went into the aviation business, gaining a pilots licence and selling aircraft throughout Australia, Asia and the South Pacific. Norman then worked in the steel wire industry but also did public speaking engagements and worked at a number of conferences around the world.
Although no longer working in radio, he returned to the UK and was heard on the Radio London 2001 Restricted Service Licence broadcasts from Clacton Pier and the programmes of Pirate BBC Essex in 2007 and 2009.
Norman passed away on 21st September 2026.
(Additional information courtesy Pirate Radio Hall of Fane)
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