Andrea Stretton (11 March 1952 - November 16, 2007) was an Australian arts journalist and television presenter. She was known as a major advocate for the arts in Australia.[1]
Andrea Stretton began her major network broadcasting career in 1985 when she took a job with SBS Radio.[1] She remained at SBS television and radio for more than a decade. She also worked as a series editor and presenter for the SBS television programs The Book Show and Masterpiece.[1]
Stretton went on to present on Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Sunday Afternoon, a network arts program, from 1998 until 2001.[1]
Stretton's interest in the arts also extended into the publishing world as a long time book reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald.[2] She was a contributing book editor for Art & Australia Magazine.[1] She was also a well known figure at Australian writers' festivals,[1] including the Sydney Writers Week.[3]
She was awarded the Order of Arts and Letters in 2002 by the government of France for her contributions to the arts.[1] She was the creative director of the 1998 and 1999 Olympic arts festivals.[3]
Andrea Stretton died of lung cancer at Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick on November 16, 2007 at the age of 55.[2] She was survived by her partner Alan, her son, and her granddaughter.[1]
Her funeral, which was held at St Canice's Roman Catholic Church in Sydney, included readings from the Tibetan Book of the Dead and T. S. Eliot.[3]