Motorsport family matriarch, media personality ‘Ali’ Drower dies

‘Ali’ Drower was the wife of rally legend Rick Bates, mother of Supercars driver Zach Bates, and was a prominent television and radio personality in regional Australia.

She died at Canberra Hospital with family at her side.

Drower’s career spanned decades, working in motorsport alongside Greg Rust for Ten Motorsport on RPM as well as broadcasts for Supercars.

Drower was well-known for her role alongside Doug Mulray at Triple M. She was also the early face of MTV Australia alongside another media legend Richard Wilkins.

She later became the regional news director for Southern Cross Austereo.

In recent years, she also freelanced for Australian Radio Network (ARN). Fiona Ellis-Jones, head of news and information at ARN, paid tribute to Drower.

“Ali Drower was a giant of the Australian news industry,” Ellis-Jones wrote.

“She had a rare mix of curiosity, strategic insight and sharp intellect that made her one of the most remarkable minds in news.

“Ali could look at any challenge and instantly see the opportunities. She knew the people who could make it work, and the resourcing and scheduling it required. She understood audiences, whether in Sydney or Scottsdale.

“She also had a wicked sense of humour and loved a good yarn – preferably over a good wine. Ali was deeply passionate about the role of regional journalism and dedicated to mentoring the next generation of radio talent.

“Ali was a true friend of ARN. She worked closely with us to redesign our entire news operations, led teams in NSW and Canberra, and guided our podcast commissioning in the regions. To me personally, she was both a dear friend and an invaluable sounding board.

“Ali taught me so much about being a commercial news leader – and about being a good human. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had her support and friendship for so long. I will miss her deeply.

“Her legacy lives on in the hundreds of journalists she mentored and the leaders she inspired. More than anything else, Ali was a mum and a wife.

“My thoughts are with her husband Rick and her beloved Zachy.”