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Club Seventeen

Posted by KeithMackenzie On March - 29 - 2009

The Music and Pop show Produced at TVW’s Studios in the 60″s, one of the Program’s Hosts was Johnny Young. The Show featured local Bands and Singers as well as visiting Vocalists and Groups  from Interstate and Overseas. There was also a Female  Group of Dancers featured in the Production numbers. One thing that was allowed in those days was miming to other recording artistes tracks. So, members of the local cast could become Cilla Black or Cliff Richard on the show.


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Max Bostock and Johnny Young

Johnny Young, who was born John Benjamin de Jong, on March 11, 1947 and is an Australian singer, composer, producer, disc jockey and television producer and host. Young was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

He grew up in the Perth Hills suburb of Kalamunda, Western Australia. Young had his first TV break when he became host of TVW7 Perth television pop music show Club Seventeen in early 1965.

Gary Garvolth reports that he hosted Club Seventeen from 1963 to 1964, then moved onto In Perth Tonight. John Young replaced Gary when the Club Seventeen director was Gordon McColl, till mid 1967, when John moved to Melbourne.

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Elizabeth Cater and Gary Carvolth hosted the first series of Club 7 Teen

From 1967, the Club 7 Teen Producer/Director was Keith Mackenzie. He joined TVW in December 1966 having previously worked for ATV Network in London which was run by Sir Lew Grade. Club 7 Teen was then hosted by Ashton Farley (6PM), Jeff Phillips and Keith McGowan. The Choreographer was Danny Harford.

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Jeff Phillips with Ashton Farley interviewed by Gary Carvolth and Garry Meadows

Many years later Keith Mackenzie was to meet up again with Sir Lew when Robert Holmes a Court, who by then owned TVW, brought Sir Lew out to Perth having just bought his London company ACC.

Gordon McColl embarked on a trip to the USSR at end of 1967 and returned in February 1968, to work for the newsroom. Gordon was also studying for a university degree.

Gordon then went onto vision switching the News, with a journalist directing. To fill in time before each nightly News broadcast, Gordon would cover stories with a battery driven Cannon 16mm film camera and zoom lens.

Gordon McColl left TVW in January 1975.


4 Responses to “Club Seventeen”

  1. Derek castagnetti says:

    The good days in Perth in the 60s.I was agroup called the BURDONS,and we played on club seventeen about 1967.I just wonder if there was any recording made cheers.

  2. Carolyn James says:

    my favourite was Jeff Phillips ..our very own Cliff Richards..lovely heart, wonderful energy.

  3. Margaret Vella says:

    Hi, I was on Club Seventeen in 1963 with the Bassendean YCW and there were also two other youth clubs on that show. Myself and anotner girl were chosen as “best dancers” by Kevin Johnston. We all danced the “Stomp”throughout the show. Is it possible to somehow view this episode as the other girl and I were presented at the end of the shoe with a gift

  4. Frank De Cinque says:

    Anyone know who wrote the Club 7Teen theme song, as sung by Johnny Young please? It was an excellent song in the style of Chuck Berry.

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