The Man – The Humor - The Talent - The Great Mate.
 
Hello folks my name is Terry Russell, but to my mate Steve I will always be Jag Russell.
 
Steve came into the world on the first of February 1970 at Nambour Hospital at 4:10 am.  His mother and father described him as a bundle of joy and a fascination for his older brother Michael.  Janet, Steve’s mum told me that they had tried for a second child for some time and had all but given up when Steve came along.

As a small child he was quite shy and was often seen at the shops securely attached to his mum’s leg.
 
I am told that his first school was Bli Bli state school where he was a good kid, never getting into trouble.  He then moved over to Maroochydore State School where he finished his primary schooling.  I am told in good faith that Steve started and finished primary school looking pretty much the same only a lot taller. 
 
His mum tells me that one day she dressed him in nice jeans a polo and a denim jacket topped off with a gold chain, apparently the neighbors said he looked quite the wog boy and so his dad named him ‘Dolf’ after Aldo Godolfus on the TV series Number 96. 
 
It was about this time that Steve’s fascination with Radio began.  He loved nothing better than listening to the “wireless” as he loved to call it, and especially loved the old style radio such as the ‘4BH Supper Club’.
 
As a scholar at Maroochydore High he was always well behaved but was not one for the class room.  He loved to hide tape recorders under the table when guests came over and would listen to the muffled tapes for hours.  I am also told that during this time he developed his skills as a mimic and enjoyed his singing. 
 
He left Year 12 with a TE that would have easily landed him a job as a teacher, but that was never going to interest my mate Steve.  He headed off for a job at State Government and then slipped into the Taxation Department in the old building at Adelaide Street . 
 
At this time Steve had moved to Petrie to live with his Grandmother “Mutti”.  Steve truly loved “Mutt” and in later years he would drop by to have a spot of tea and a ‘natter’ whenever he got a chance.
 
In 1989 I first met Steve at Air TV.  How could we miss him with that voice?  At the old B105 studios in Bowen Hills we would hear this guy with the silky smooth voice having a go at the recording studio and hearing him do a Sly Stallone or Sir Joh and wonder why it was so easy for him.
 
At the end of the course a few of us discovered 4OUR  (FM) the community Station at Caboolture and decided to lend a hand getting things going and also cutting some air checks.  I called Steve who was doing shifts at Logan ’s 101 (FM) and asked him to come along.  This was the start of a long and wonderful friendship, or more like an extension to our family.
 
Steve always sounded 35 to me but he was actually only 19 when I met him.
 
The thing that sticks out in my mind from that time was that he was back living at Kawana but working at Brissie.  I was working across the road from him and we would meet at Caboolture station to catch the 8:05 express to Brisbane .  Many a morning I would stand  there and watch the little silver Civic come sliding into the car park, then see Steve dive out of the car and dash to the platform.  It was a good thing he worked for Taxation so he had plenty of time to catch up on his sleep!
 
After only a few months our mate John Caruso (‘JC’ nowadays on 4MMM) called up to tell us that 4KZ was looking for a drive announcer.  One phone call was all it took for Al Kirton to hire Steve - so he packed up his goods and chattels and drove his little Civic to Innisfail.
 
4KZ became his home base for a while and he and Johnno became flat mates.  They even spent one Christmas living in the studios during a Cyclone alert.
 
When JC moved to Bundaberg he once again called Steve about a new job at 4BU - a mid morning shift.  Steve relished the opportunity to do this shift and very much personalized it.
 
After a few months Steve started adding some talk back segments and commenced his indigenous hour, giving local aboriginals a voice in the community.  Sadly this met with a fair bit of resentment and Steve was even sent death threats.  Did it worry Steve … not in the least.  Steve also met with local aboriginals to discuss local issues and soon became an honourary member of their tribe.  Steve is still known as ‘Uncle Steve’ to the children and always addressed the elders as Uncle and Aunty.
 
Steve’s interest in talkback radio grew stronger and he called me one day to say he had landed a new job as a casual with 4BC.  He stayed a few days with me and then we found him a flat in New Farm.  Let’s just say that the flat would have been right at home in a Harry Potter novel!
 
It was great I had my best mate back in the big smoke and New Farm had just discovered Sushi.  We became frequent passengers on the Sushi Train with the owners rubbing their hands with glee every time we walked thru the door. 
 
Now back to ‘Jag’ Russell.  My favorite saying for quite a while was do you want to ‘jag a movie’ Stevo? It was a reference to my uncanny ability to jag the car parks right by the entrance.  Hence was born the nickname ‘Jag Russell’.   It got so bad that even my dear old mum was calling me Jag.  Thanks Steve.  But then again Steve had names for just about everybody, My niece Elena became Edweena or just Weeny.  Her boy friend became Slim Boy Jim, my brother became Uncle Den and the Moodys became the Mood Whistles.  No one was spared.  My wife Sammie can attest to the vocal mastery that we often received on our answering service.  If only we had saved them all.
 
While doing some V/O work at B105, Steve slipped into his finest impersonation of Ray McGregor’s bbbbb-B105 station id.  Not surprisingly when Ray became ill, Steve was called in to become the voice of the station.  At this stage Steve was also the voice of around 30 other stations across Australia .  This all coincided with him going full time at 4BC.
 
Now let me point out that Steve enjoyed doing the voice work and the other stuff at B105 but he loved doing talk back on BC.  Steve would touch the hearts of his listeners and share with them his own trials and tribulations.  Be it the Prime Minister or some lonely old dear from Lutwytch, Steve had the ability to make them feel he truly cared, because he truly did.
 
In the early 90’s Steve came flying into my place to tell me that he had got “The Job”.  He was the
‘voice’ of Channel Nine Brisbane.  He was over the moon!  He loved that job and the people he worked with at Nine.  With the new job came the new cars yet Steve remained the same happy go lucky bloke, always running late and forever forgetful.
 
I remember he took a new Toyota Celica for a test drive one day along with me in it.  We then had to run a few errands.  When we took it back a few hours later the car dealer was very relieved to see us back and with his car
. 
Steve and I became obsessive movie buffs and I still remember the night we went out to the cheap Tuesday movies at the Myer Centre.  We ‘jagged’ a park right by the elevator and made our way to the cinemas only to find we had seen all but one movie out of the ten, Smilla’s Sense of Snow.  We stood there looking at the sign and the decider was that we would have to pay parking anyhow so why not catch the movie.  Luckily it proved to be a great movie even though we were the only two in the cinema! 
 
His other obsession was his mobile phone. I can still see him lying on the floor in the Myer Centre Cinema taking a call.  I honestly think he thought that by lying down no one could hear his deep resonant voice that way.
 
There is just so much about Steve that cracked me up.  His mum reminded me of the time he grew his hair and beard, and we called him Ackmed the Arab - unfortunately it coincided with 911.  When he went to Brissie Airport to fly out to Melbourne the newly appointed security paid particular attention to him. I’m happy to report that he returned home with a short back and sides and no facial hair.
 
Steve was a great bloke - but a shocker of a driver.  I have witnessed him driving with one hand making a call on his mobile and eating all at once.  Honestly he made stunt drivers look bad.  He especially loved his little Red Celica.  I bet when the lease was up on that car that it breathed a sigh of relief.
 
Steve was a champion bloke,  Especially the way he loved his ‘Nanna’ “Mutti”, and his care for others was outstanding.  I remember  when my mum moved in to New Farm for the last few years of her life, it was once again my mate Steve who helped to make her feel very special.  I was all too frequently held up at late meetings and Steve would drop around to my place let himself in and make mum a quick cup of Ovaltine.  She loved it because Steve made it ‘extra special’.  Steve was invited by our family to do a reading at Mum’s funeral.  He turned into a beautiful presentation with many people craning to see if it really was ‘Lawsy.
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You know for as long as I have known Steve he has always been a sensational bloke.  He was quick with a joke or some witty comment and generous to a fault.  Sadly, I think the loss of the Channel Nine gig was a very personal one to him and we often spoke of how he missed the ‘guys on the hill’.  Add to that the passing of his beloved ‘Mutti’ and I can understand how hard things were for him.  However through all of this his compassion and love to me and my wife ‘Mrs. Jag’ never faltered.
  
His battles with depression were long and hard yet he was more concerned about my health.
 
I spoke to Steve on the Friday prior to the accident and we had a great ‘natter about a host of things’.  We had even arranged to have lunch on the Thursday - but it wasn’t to be.
 
Steve was a kind and gentle bloke, a friend to all and someone who will always live on in my heart.  See you soon mate and ‘God Bless’.
 
Editor’s Notes:
 
* At the funeral they played the song ‘Pearly Shells’ (Burl Ives) - a song that was special to him - and a song that his father used to sing to him when he was a small boy.
 
* Attending the funeral were numerous radio and TV people including: Wayne & Lea Budge (Fm101.1), Geoff Harrison (4BH), Malcolm Pollard (96.5 FM), Chris Adams (4BC), Danny Hoyland (4BC), Ian Keenan (4KQ), Dave D Whitcomb (4KQ), Bob Gallagher (97.3 FM), Mike Goldman (Big Brother/voice overs), Paul Barrett (FM 101.1), Jason Nightingale, Yasmin Khan (ex-4BC), Gary Boyce (Now Hear This), Scott Mayman (ABC Gold Coast), voice over talent including: Terry Anthony, Carl Liebold, Sharyn Doolan, Angela Walsh, Jim Pilgrim, Paul Davies and many others.
* There has been some speculation regarding Steve’s death - but it was an ‘accident’.  He had been walking home on one of the most pedestrian-unfriendly stretches of the road. The Sunshine Coast Daily reports: “It is an uphill four-lane section with a large concrete barrier running along the median strip.  One side of the road is a virtual cliff-face, while the other is a steep embankment leading down to a creek.  There are no pedestrian walkways or property driveways." Police have laid no blame on the 17-year-old learner driver, who was to have sat for her driving test a week later yesterday.  Following the accident she was treated for severe shock.