Bettina 'Tina' Dalton, a pioneering documentary producer and one of the original presenters of the Australian travel show "Getaway," has died. Dalton passed away on the Sunshine Coast on Monday, with her death confirmed Tuesday by WildBear Entertainment, the production company she helped establish.
Dalton was among the inaugural cast when "Getaway" premiered on Channel Nine in May 1992. She remained with the program through 1993, leaving to pursue a career in documentary production and natural history filmmaking. She made a special return appearance on "Getaway" in 2023 for a multi-part series exploring Antarctica, 31 years after her initial debut.
John Walsh, former executive producer of "Getaway," remembered Dalton as an engaging presenter with a profound love for nature and an effortless communication style. "She went on to become a celebrated wildlife filmmaker and returned to Getaway in 2023, 31 years after her debut, for a multi-part series on Antarctica," Walsh stated.
Dalton's early fascination with wildlife began in her youth on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. She studied Rural Techniques at the University of Queensland and later worked as a park ranger. This experience led to her first television appearance as "Ranger Tina" in the 1988 documentary "Cane Toads: An Unnatural History." She also worked on Sir David Attenborough's "The Trials of Life" before joining "Getaway."
After her tenure on "Getaway," Dalton transitioned behind the camera, becoming a significant figure in Australia's natural history production industry. In 1998, she co-founded Absolutely Wild Visuals, which developed a substantial wildlife footage library. She later established Wild Fury with producer Veronica Fury. In 2014, Wild Fury merged with Bearcage Productions to form WildBear Entertainment, where Dalton served as a principal and executive producer.
Her producing credits in later years included the acclaimed documentary "Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story," which premiered at Sundance in 2021, as well as "Every Little Thing" and "Rachel's Farm." Sally Aitken, director of "Playing with Sharks," described Dalton as a woman of "extraordinary passion, grace, integrity, and curiosity," who championed women and the natural world, believing in the power of storytelling for change. Michael Tear, CEO of WildBear Entertainment, praised her "passion for social and environmental issues," noting that "our collective knowledge base about the planet is so much richer because of her work."
Dalton's death follows that of her long-term partner, Sydney businessman John Schaeffer AO, six years prior. She is survived by their daughters, Pnina and Chana.