Written by 
Political adversaries present and past have joined a live audience to send off David Bevan for his final broadcast as ABC Radio Adelaide’s Mornings presenter.
After a career spanning more than 30 years, Bevan presented his last program from the ABC cafeteria in Collinswood in what was an emotional affair for friends and family in the crowd.
Those present to say goodbye included former Liberal leader Isobel Redmond, who produced the infamous taser used on her in 2009 after being challenged on-air to do it by Bevan and co-host Matthew Abraham (because she wanted police to have them).
Dozens of people were in attendance for David Bevan’s last broadcast as the Mornings presenter. (ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton)
There was also a message from former prime minister John Howard, who Bevan said was initially quite hard to get onto the show.
“In the end we couldn’t get rid of the guy,” Bevan quipped.
Others present, or who had a recorded message for the veteran, included state Premier Peter Malinauskas, who Bevan grilled about the South Australian health system for the last time, Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia, SA Energy and Mining Minister Tom Koutsantonis, former treasurer Kevin Foley, and former Liberal leader David Speirs.
It also included former premiers Jay Weatherill, Mike Rann, John Olsen and Lynn Arnold.
Former Liberal leader Isobel Redmond presents the taser used on her in 2009. (ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton)
A career spanning more than 30 years
Bevan started as a cadet with ABC News in 1986 following his first reporting job for the SANFL Budget.
He worked briefly for the Adelaide Advertiser before returning to the ABC in 1993, working in TV and ABC News to cover state politics.
He began producing 891 ABC Radio Adelaide Drive in 2000 and co-hosted Mornings with Phillip Satchell in 2001 before he was joined by Matthew Abraham — who made a cameo for today’s broadcast — on the program from 2002.
Bevan and Abraham took over Breakfast in 2011 and proceeded to dominate the time slot in Adelaide for the next six years.
“One of the things that Matthew and I were most proud of, was the trip to the Lower Lakes [during the Millennium Drought],” Bevan said.
This included both presenters walking with local dairy farmers out into the dried bed of Lake Albert and eventually into mud while dragging pipelines in the hunt for water — live on air.
“It was a privilege to meet those people and the next day we had a big outdoor broadcast and brought the community together with the people who were making decisions,” Bevan said.
Regular contributors also made their farewells, along with public figures such as musician John Schumann, best known as the lead singer for Redgum.
“The broadcasting landscape in Ausralia will be very much poorer for your departing,” Schumann said.
Time to say ‘thank you’
Bevan paid tribute to his colleagues for their support over the years, and “producers who’ve made me look better than I am”.
“To list all the colleagues I’m in debt to would be to break a cardinal rule of broadcasting, which is, ‘Don’t be boring,'” he said.
He gave particular thanks to his wife, Janette, and long-time ABC Radio Adelaide producer, Eliza Kirsch.
“No-one has done more than Eliza to make 891 again and again the most successful of all the ABC stations, in all its networks, and how lucky was I that she was there when I started,” Bevan said.
ABC veteran David Bevan signs off for the last time — “in 2024, at least”. (ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton)
After giving away his last “Coco Mug” as part of his regular programming, Bevan said it was time to express his gratitude.
“Thank you to our audience,” he said.
“If you hadn’t tuned in, I would have had to find a real job.”
“There’s more I could say — I fear there is more I should say.
“But the best thing I can do after all these years and so many, many words, I think, is to stop talking and play a song.”
Bevan started playing, Another One Bites the Dust, by Queen as a joke, but switched to The Parting Glass by The Wailin’ Jennys before signing off.