ABC broadcaster Red Symons has suffered a “significant injury to his brain” but no loss of function after a serious fall earlier this month, colleague Jon Faine says.

Faine told his listeners that the 68-year-old ABC Radio Melbourne presenter hit the back of his head “very hard” after falling while walking home from the supermarket on July 5.

Faine, who presents Mornings on ABC Radio Melbourne, said he had spent one-and-a-half hours with Breakfast presenter Symons, who was “doing well” and had sent a “big cheerio” to everyone.

“He’s working at coming back as soon as he can. The bottom line is he’s had a significant injury to his brain,” Faine said.

“He felt a bit unsteady, stopped, put his hand out to hold onto the building as he wobbled and fell backwards because it was a hill.

“Because he fell backwards, he hit the back of his head very hard on the pavement.”

Faine said all the advice Symons had been given was that it would just take time to recover and he would have to be patient.

“It was a significant injury and we know a lot more about how to deal with them in order to ensure a full recovery,” Faine said.

“One of the ways to deal with it is to go very, very slowly. Not to rush it.

“If you want to make a partial recovery, yes, you can rush it, and then you miss out on the full recovery.”

Faine said Symons was “bored out of his brain”.

“He hasn’t lost any function. He’s as sharp as ever,” Faine said.

Symons was a member of the Melbourne band Skyhooks and is well known for his former role on long-running TV variety show Hey Hey It’s Saturday.