This is taken from The Dominion Post, New Zealand:

Patriarch of the Radio New Zealand newsroom
By AMANDA FISHER - The Dominion Post
Last updated 05:00 07/08/2010

When Rose Hudson first saw her broadcaster and thespian husband Brian she thought she had laid eyes on James Dean.

The Queen's Service Medal-winning pair – won for services to community theatre – met at a teachers' training college day out at Days Bay in 1957, not long after Rose had moved from Hawke's Bay with a warning, fresh in her mind, to stay away from men on motorbikes.

Up rode Mr Hudson on a motorbike, replete with cigarette hanging from his mouth, and asked her for a canoe ride.

"I looked at him and thought, `Bugger me, it's James Dean'."

Years later, at the couple's golden wedding last year, Mr Hudson told his wife she had been the only female at the beach in a two-piece bathing suit.

Mr Hudson died this month after a long illness. His funeral, dubbed Life Without Brian, resembled the stage he loved so much, with guests asked to attend in theatrical dress.

In the intervening half century, the Hudsons had a life full of adventures in the theatrical and broadcasting worlds, which began when the "consummate radio broadcaster" spontaneously decided he had a better radio voice than newsreader Bas Tubert.

Within two weeks – and with no training – he had ditched his school master's attire and become a radio and TV broadcaster with the NZBC.

"We had a wonderful life together, we had so many adventures," Mrs Hudson said.

In 1966, the young family of four decided to blow savings for a house deposit on a ticket to London to join the exodus of New Zealand broadcasters.

The morning after arriving in London with 16, Mr Hudson secured a job reading the news on the BBC – The World at One with Brian Hudson.

The next 10 years were spent mingling with such exalted company as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Monty Python, actor Patrick Cargill, and Dr Who star Jon Pertwee.

"The kids used to say [to their friends] `My dad knows Dr Who and he'll get the Daleks on to you'," Mrs Hudson said.

After 10 years in London, the Hudsons returned to Wellington – with their by-now family of six – where Mr Hudson picked up a job with Radio New Zealand.

Current Morning Report host Geoff Robinson said that after his stint with the BBC, Mr Hudson had a "Here is the news. It is important. You will listen to it" inflection, and was aghast to discover the New Zealand news-reading style had become more conversational. "After a while, Brian became a producer."