Ned Negus, son of legendary reporter George Negus has given an update on the health of his father, two years after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis was made public.
Somewhat reluctantly he posted on LinkedIn.
“For those of you who don’t know, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s around five years ago. He’s now non verbal most of the time (mindblowing for me but also any of you that know him),” he wrote.
“Today is Father’s Day in Australia and we had a walk on the beach together. He was clearly not sure why this particular walk was symbolic and sometimes not sure with whom he was walking.
“At one point we stopped, he smiled broadly and then hugged me for quite some time.
“It was sad, but it was uplifting to know that even when you can no longer say what you feel, you can still DO what you feel. Love you Negsy.
“P.S. My mum took this photo and is by his side most days helping him through, helping him remember (even the slightest thing) and feel. Massive shout out to her too.”
Negus is best known for his 7 years as an original 60 Minutes reporter, from 1979 – 86. Amongst memorable stories were reports from war zones and famously a steely response from UK PM Margaret Thatcher.
His other roles include hosting on Today, Foreign Correspondent (as founding presenter), George Negus Tonight, Dateline, 6.30 with George Negus.
He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2015 for significant service to the media, and to conservation and the environment.
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