Content feed Comments Feed

Search Results

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.


178.jpg

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.

Gary Carvolth.png

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.

Club 17 Team.png
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.


Bob Cribb Tribute

Posted by ken On March - 29 - 2009

The following is the eulogy that Darcy Farrell (TVW’s first News Editor) gave at Bob Cribb’s funeral on December 5th, 2008.

Darcy believes that in the overall TVW7 story Bob should be remembered as a valuable pioneer who, more than anything, was a colourful character.

310.jpg

Bob Cribb

I spoke to Bob just a couple of days before he passed away.

He stoically told me not to worry too much about him because, as he put it, there were many people far worse off than he was.

It was typical true grit from Bob at a time of ultimate adversity.

Cribby’s life, as you have just heard from Reg, was a real adventure.

It was a journey which all of us here today shared in one way or another.

I first saw Bob when he was a young cadet at West Australian Newspapers. He was clean cut. He was exuberant. He was larger than life.

Little did I know then that we would spend a great deal of time together and, like you all, I was to enjoy the ups and downs, the fun, the humour and, I guess, the drama of Bob’s life.

In a professional sense, Bob had that rare quality in journalism of good news judgment. He was quick to seize on a story or an event or a topic of human interest.

Bob saw things clearly and he was an ideas man.

He was ready-made to work in television and he became an integral part of our News team at Channel Seven.

However, his on-camera debut didn’t exactly go to plan.

Bob had left the West and worked in Melbourne reporting footy for the Herald group.

When he returned to Perth in the early 1960s he impressed us at Seven with his confidence and he convinced us he should be presenting football on television.

We ran a program called Sport at Seven, hosted by Syd Donovan and Frank Bird.

On Bob’s debut performance, Syd introduced him along these lines:

“Tonight we are introducing a new member to our football team.

“Bob Cribb is just back from Melbourne where he reported on the VFL.

“Over to you Bob.”

Bob looked earnestly into the camera and began. His voice carried that sense of urgency and resonance. Rick Ardon would have envied Bob’s professional poise.

Bob began this way:

“Today I went to Perth Oval where the mighty Royals, the power team of the last decade, once again showed they will be a force to reckon with this season…..”

Bob continued superbly for about 30 seconds.

Then he looked up from his notes and eyeballed the camera.

Taking his eyes off the notes proved to be disastrous.

Bob’s jaw dropped, his mouth was agape.

He froze….he dried up.

Not another word fell from his lips.

There was an eerie silence.

Remember in the early days of television everyone in Perth was watching Seven.

The agonising hush could be felt in every TV home.

The viewers were glued to their sets as Bob sat motionless peering into the cruel lens of a cold and unforgiving camera.

Eventually, Syd relieved the situation by engaging Bob in a question and answer session.

That was Bob’s first – and only – appearance as a live match day reporter.

I don’t need to tell you that Bob went on to become a great behind the scenes man whose contribution to the football and sporting programs was outstanding.

He did appear on television after that Sport at Seven incident, but it was mainly in News reporting and only a couple of weeks ago Seven showed the excellent Manhunt feature in which Bob was the central figure.

On that segment Bob became quite famous in journalism for his comment and I quote “the man dog killer is holed up in this bush”.

In those days comments of that type were deemed to be sub-judice and contempt of court.

Needless to say, both Bob and Seven were both sued for contempt and the defence lawyer, Dr Marian I think it was, used Bob as the scapegoat to try to get an acquittal.

Today, reporters say pretty well what they like. By modern standards Bob’s words on that Sunday at the Gnangara pine plantation were quite mild.

Bob was reporting ad lib for more than three hours using primitive equipment which was the equivalent of flying a tiger moth compared to today’s F 18 jets.

He had to fly by the seat of his pants ad libbing his way through an event of enormous local interest.

Peter Kennedy referred to the manhunt on 720 this morning when he paid tribute to Bob.

I consider Bob’s on camera performance on that day almost half a century ago was a remarkable effort and few of today’s reporters could emulate it.

Bob was ahead of his time when he suggested to Seven that it should cover the Sandover Medal.

In the early 1960s, the Medal was counted behind closed doors and the result was reported the next day in The West or Ollie Drake Brockman put out a newsflash on radio.

Bob arranged for the six players he thought could win the medal to be on standby to come to the studios at Tuart Hill.

Among them was the winner, Neville Beard, and Bob had Neville being interviewed live on Seven within minutes of the Sandover count.

It was a real coup for Bob and Seven.

Subsequently, Bob got Barry Cable live after Cabes won the medal.

It was at Bob’s behest that Seven went on to do the live telecast of the medal count and it has been replicated in Melbourne as the AFL’s major social event, the Brownlow.

Bob Cribb thought of it first.

Bob was also ahead of his time in recognising the great comedy talent of John Watts.

Bob produced the J K Watts segments and became Wattsie’s manager. To this day, I’m still not sure who benefited the most: Wattsie or Cribbie?

Bob had some amazing contacts and unearthed stories long before other more experienced newspeople.

For example, he came to me one day and told me the police had found a rifle hidden in the grass verge of a suburban home in Mt Pleasant. The police were staking out the area and were fearful that if the information leaked the man they wanted would be alerted.

I am referring, of course, to the Cooke case.

Bob got the information first, even ahead of the legenday Daily News police roundsman Jack Coulter, because he knew the people living in the adjacent Mt Pleasant property.

Together Bob and I decided that for the good of the community we would keep the information under wraps. Cooke was caught and I think Bob should be commended for never revealing the vital information which would have given him a national scoop.

When there was a state of emergency in Brunei in 1962, we sent Bob to cover the attempted coup. It was a dangerous situation and no one was allowed on the streets after dark.

I’m sure his family doesn’t know this, but in his attempt to get the story Bob broke the curfew and a British officer pulled his pistol and gave Bob one minute to get off the streets. In one minute you will be shot, the intrepid boy from Belmont was told.

Bob covered the 200 metres back to his hotel at Olympic speed.

But as we all know Bob’s life wasn’t all drama.

Bob and his group were fun loving hedonists who could have walked straight out of Damon Runyon’s Guys and Dolls.

At the Charles Hotel you would find Bob with mine host Jack Sheedy, J.K Watts, Tom Everett, Mal McGrath, Jack Woolcock, Murray, Kevin, who is here today, Ted, Theo, occasionally Nugget Hilz and an entourage of other interesting characters.

Tall tales were told and when the exaggerated stories were too tall, Mal McGrath would halt the story teller in his tracks and say…..”yeh, that would be right and the cocky flew away with the cage.”

To give you an idea of the colourful times, Mal McGrath wore a pink suit one day and a green suit the next and he drove Bob and the others around in the biggest Cadillac in Australia.

If Bob and his group weren’t at the Charles you’d find them at the John Barleycorn playing darts or pool with Gerry Bahen, Brian Treasure and many others.

If Bob wasn’t at the Charles or the Barley there was a better than even chance you’d find him trackside at Ascot.

I hired Bob three or four times and I sacked him three or four times.

Even when I sacked him there were no hard feelings.

How could there be?

When I arrived at the station at 3pm one Sunday afternoon I couldn’t find anyone.

The newsroom was empty. The place was deserted.

Bob had recorded the news four hours before it was due to go to air and sent the staff home. Bob himself had gone off to a party.

If World War 111 had happened that day our viewers would never have known.

But Bob assured me it was a great party and worth getting the sack.

There are so many stories about Bob. I’m sure everyone here today will have their own personal anecdotes.

Maxine and Bob’s family will cherish the memory of Bob’s warmth and wonderful sense of humour, his love and affection.

It should also be placed on record that he should be remembered as

An outstanding journalist.

He should be remembered for his fine contribution to television in this State in its pioneering days.

I was speaking with Bill McKenzie, one of WA’s best ever television executives, and he concurred that Bob’s work on sporting and news programs was of major importance in the evolution of TV in this State.

Bob was innovative and worked with vigour and vision.

And Bob should be remembered as a great friend of football.

His efforts on behalf of Australian football and on behalf of footballers were superb.

There were many major milestones marking Bob’s journey of life.

Let’s give thanks that we knew him and were lucky enough to have shared so many of those landmark experiences.

Jim Atkinson Tribute

Posted by ken On March - 28 - 2009

Friends of the late Jim Atkinson pay tribute to a much loved friend, colleague and entertainer.

Audrey Long (nee Barnaby) and Coralie Condon advised that Jim Atkinson started in Albany Radio 6VA and later moved to Perth Radio 6PR, and also played in a band, whilst both Gordon McColl and Colm O’Doherty mentioned that Jim had been a police patrol officer in New Guinea.Carolyn Tannock (nee Noble) reported that Jim started with Seven after Rolf Harris left, joining Carolyn Noble and Judy Lee on Children’s Channel Seven.

Carolyn-Jim-Guitar.jpg

Carolyn Noble with Jim Atkinson

Jim worked with Seven from 1960 till the end of 1967.

Richard Ashton pointed out that during his early years at Seven, Jim lived on a property where he kept horses, very close to where the Innaloo Shopping Centre in now located.

IMG_0474.JPG
Jim provides Carolyn Noble with a few equine pointers

Audrey Barnaby said that Jim taught her son Marc to ride, and then tutored Audrey in the skill.

Picture 60.png

During the Christmas break of 1961, Jim participated in an outback expedition with Harry Butler, Mark De Graff, Gerry Roberts, Roulien Schroeder and Gordon McColl.

Harry Gordy Jim.jpg

Jim explained to Peter Harries that in the early days, Harry Butler had a lot to do with Children’s Channel 7. The West Australian Museum subsidised Harry to go out and bring back stuff, pictures of snakes and lizards and scorpions and so on.

By the time Trina Williams (nee Brown) was hostess of Children’s Channel 7, Jim Atkinson had the on-air persona of Captain Jim and performed along with good friend Colm O’Doherty (as Seaman O’Doherty). Taffy the Lion (John Cousins) was also an integral part of the program.

Taffy, Jim & Colm.png
Taffy, Colm and Jim in Make-Up Room

Trina Taffy Jim Colm.jpg
Seaman O’Doherty, Captain Jim, Trina Brown and Taffy the Lion

In 1999, Jim was telling Peter Harries about Captain Jim’s boat, “That boat. It was a magnificent thing and it allowed us to do things like jumping overboard, to splash water and all sorts of things. That was the only thing, everything that went on, the content of the show was all left to us.”

Peter asked, “Now, how much time do you recall did you do for rehearsing? For the children’s show?”

Jim replied, “None! Honest to goodness none. Seaman Colm O’Dougherty and Taffy [the Lion] would come in. We’d make up what we had to do while we were being made up. We’d talk about it in the make-up room. There was very little preparation at all…” “…mind you Colm and myself we used sort of meet away from Channel Seven, and we’d talk every time we met, ‘Oh, I think this week we’ll do a little bit of this and next week we’ll do a little bit of that.”

Colm said that by late 1969 – early 1970, their characters were replaced by Percy Penguin, and later Fatcat.

Veronica Low (nee Overton) points out that Jim was a good water colours artist, and an avid collector of old 75, 45 and LP music recordings and radio programs.

Jim presented the Old Time Radio & Glee Club at Curtin Radio for many years, then was a presenter with Capitol Community Radio at Wireless Hill, where he was a Life Member along with his wife Miriam.

Audrey (who worked with Jim at both radio stations and TVW) said that with failing health, his broadcasting was eventually restricted to recording his music shows from home, for broadcast on Ellenbrooke Community radio.

Jim passed away at 6.30am on the morning of Friday March 27th, 2009.

He is remembered as a good hearted and kind workmate who was devoted to his children and wife Miriam.

A friend of Colm O’Doherty, Audrey Barnaby, Coralie Condon, Carolyn Noble, Trina Brown, Veronica Low (nee Overton) and many, many more.

Jim Atkinson Picture Gallery

Spotlight – First Variety Show

Posted by ken On March - 28 - 2009

Perth television’s first variety show was Spotlight, which was broadcast on the opening night of Channel Seven, Friday 16th October, 1959.

It was a half hour live show written and produced by Coralie Condon, directed by Beverly Gledhill and compered by Phillip Edgley.

Spotlight – TVW’s First Variety Show

Posted by ken On March - 28 - 2009

The first edition of Spotlight was broadcast on the opening night of Channel Seven, Friday 16th October, 1959. The editions that followed were broadcast each Thursday from 10 to 10.30pm.

Spotlight rehearsal 1959.jpg

Phillip Edgley, Brian Card, Dianne Briggs, Judy Schonell, Dorothy & Bert Shaw and Reg Whiteman

It was a half hour variety show written and produced by Coralie Condon, directed by Beverly Gledhill and compered by Phillip Edgley. Phillip came from a well known theatrical family going back four generations. In 1968, the family business of Edgley and Dawe bought His Majesty’s Theatre, and were responsible for bringing many fine acts to Australia. Many of these were promoted by TVW Channel 7. When Phillip’s father Eric Edgley died in 1967, his brother Michael took over the Company at the age of 23. The years since have seen the “Michael Edgley Presents” logo on such renowned attractions as London’s Royal Ballet, the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet companies, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Marcel Marceau, Torvill and Dean, the Moscow Circus and many, many more. Phillip, a son by Eric Edgley’s first marriage, died in 1999.

A-FC002.jpg

Compere Phillip Edgley with star Frankie Davidson and the cast

Acts on the show included four local dancers known as Guys and Dolls, which consisted of Dorothy and Bert Shaw and Judy Schonell and Reg Whiteman. Judy married actor Ron Graham and their son Marcus Graham became a well known actor too. Marcus even read the news on TVW for a short period. Reg Whiteman, who was a founding member of the WA Ballet, is well known to TV insiders for his long association with Fatcat. Dianne Briggs and Brian Card were another act, who along with compere Phillip Edgley, presented many song and dance numbers on the show. Other performers on Spotlight included Frankie Davidson, Colleen Clifford, Rolf Harris, Rhythm Spinners, Rhythmaires, The Four Notes, Bob & Shelda Wrightson and vocalist Maureen Corless. The Harry Bluck Band provided the musical backing.

TVW decided to discontinue Spotlight after sixteen episodes.

Jim Atkinson Collection

Posted by ken On March - 28 - 2009

Jim started with Seven in 1960, after Rolf Harris left, joining Carolyn Noble and Judy Lee on Children’s Channel Seven.

By the time Trina Williams (nee Brown) became hostess of Children’s Channel 7, Jim Atkinson had the on-air persona of Captain Jim and performed along with good friend Colm O’Doherty (as Seaman O’Doherty). Taffy the Lion (John Cousins) was also an integral part of the program.

At the end of 1969, the Captain and seaman characters were replaced by Percy Penguin, and then later Fatcat.

A true pioneer of the early days of Children’s Channel 7.

Disney on Parade in Australia 1971-1972

Posted by ken On March - 27 - 2009

DISNEY ON PARADE an arena stage show for all ages

By Richard Ashton

image001.jpg

I hired a noisy hovercraft for Mickey Mouse to arrive into a filled to capacity Perry Lakes stadium to celebrate his birthday.

The first time a Disney on Parade arena show that had been produced outside America was done by Channel 7 Perth. It was the brainchild of Brian Treasure. He had succeeded in convincing the Disney organization that we at Channel 7 could produce and mount, with their cooperation and expertise a Disney on Parade arena show which would tour Australia. Michael Edgley, the Bullen Brothers the Circus people and many other smaller investors joined in to finance the project too.

Naturally there were a lot of Americans involved, the head of each department designing, costuming, choreography, stage direction and presentation were all done by Americans. However many Australians, and many Western Australians would join the production in key roles.

Many Australian and local dancers and cast members would join the principal American cast for the show. Some of especially acts would come from America complete. For example Goofy’s comedy car and old ramshackle T Ford which, amongst other humorous antics, driverless, chaste Goofy around the stage.

image002.jpg

Goofy’s Comedy Car on the Disney on Parade stage in the TVW big tent.

But most of the costumes were made and sewn by local seamstresses, under their direction of course. And a great number of props and parts of the sentence scenery were made here too. All the music was played and recorded inAmerica, as were all the film introductions of the Disney stories that were used to start each of the separate parts of the program. The complete soundtracks were recorded in USA and assembled in a large purpose-built audio control room which was full of multi-track playback machines. This control room was virtually a giant sea container which could be quickly packed up for touring.

All the lighting was hired in Australia, but some of the grid work which hung inside the big tent was imported from USA, because mainly it contained flying cables for aerialist acts, and some special lighting and visual effects.

The whole Disney on Parade arena show was housed in a giant tent owned by the Bullen Brothers the Circus people, which I think seated, some 5000 people around a huge thrust stage.

image003.jpg

Interior of the Disney on Parade tent erected over the Perry Lakes rugby oval

Later Channel 7 purchased an even bigger tent which had been used in South Africa. It was even bigger and could accommodate 10,000. This was used for the Peter Pan shows.

It was quite an achievement for us at Channel 7 too to pull off such a contract, and quite a feather in Brian Treasure’s hat for convincing Disney’s American producers to mount and stage the show for Australia in Perth. And quite a feather in the cap and showed the forward thinking of the Channel 7 Board for agreeing to join the project. I would think the Board and the other investors also had one eye on the bottom line. The other important feature was perhaps, the employment of large cast Western Australian dancers, actors and staging personnel, who would have employment for a least the next 12 months of the tour. We would all gain heaps of experience.

It was going to be a great show, and a great achievement. It would set the stage for other Disney programs, and for the Hannah Barbara organization to also mount arena shows, produced in Perth for Australia and Asian tours. Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Snow White, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and the story of Jungle book were all featured in the first Disney on Parade. And in later shows of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble from theFlintstones, Yogi Bear. They were at the peak of their popularity.

Because Brian Treasure was such a dominant and forceful character everyone was a bit fearful of him, especially when they were called to into his office. When called in on this occasion my first thought was, what have I done wrong this time, flashed through my mind?

As I entered his office he had the visitor with him, it was Mike Grilikies the American producer here to make a TV special of the Disney on Parade arena show for the American network. With a handshake we were introduced. BT as we called him, not to his face, continued saying. “We need a Unit Manager for the American TV special. …and that’s you!” He said. After a little more in the job description department, Brian handed me a bunch of cards.

They were applications to join the Theatrical Employees Union for all the staff that were about to transfer and work on the TV special. As he explained some of the people weren’t keen about joining the union but many more were insisting on it. So I was to keep it quiet, fill out forms for all our people and forward them on with a joining fee to the union office, quietly.

With the door closing behind me, I stood there for a second, probably with my mouth open, with Treasure’s secretary quizzically looking at me. Now back to my office I realize that I had suddenly much more to do. Much of the local live TV production had been much reduced because of our work with Disney. A lot of our TV props workshop was taken up with building scenery every available space seemed to have people working in. In fact we had hired a prop building workshop in Osborne Park were all the small props were being made. Many seamstresses were working in strength too with their sewing machines whirring madly in any available spots. Costuming dummies were everywhere, with the hundreds of costumes already sewn, covered with plastic awaiting fittings. The whole place was in a real buzz.

Now, on top of everything else we were doing, including the advanced unit doing shows at shopping centers, we were to now make a TV special! That meant more props more scenery, especially for the TV show. More staffwere arriving from America connected with the TV program. A specialist TV group was also coming from TCN Channel 9 Sydney. They were to bring a specialist film recording unit to be used to film for the production. This later proved to be of no value, mainly because the light level on the thrust stage was too low, and extra lighting in the tent would inpractable and too disruptive. The colour television system incorporating what was now very new to us, would be used. Colour television cameras were adapted and the TV show would be recorded using the American colour NTSC system. Dual recorded videotapes would also be recorded in both the American standard and the Australian 625 line PAL system, and an edited version of the program would be made for Australia.

The experiment on which the decision was to be made, whether to use film or videotape was in part due to my television camera work, of which I was quite proud. Because so many of our studio crews were being used in other areas and in the every day running of the TV station, I was about the only one left who could manage to operate the special colour TV camera, with its amazing low light level performance, and its special zoom lens. Only the one camera would be used for the test, I think from memory it was the only one in Australia at the time. More cameras would come later for the TV show recording.

A platform was constructed just to the side of the thrust stage for me, I was glad that I had seen a number of performances and rehearsals of the show so that I had a pretty good idea of what it looked like and what had to be recorded. This helped me to anticipate the various entrances and exits of the acts. And the positioning on the stage of the various routines and dancers and the lighting effects that made the show such a wonderful success. My earphones were connected to the stage and lighting manager’s cues, and I also had the music and sounds in my earphones too.

image004.jpg

Disney on Parade Cinderella segment of the show.

With the help of video recording technicians, I was able to record the complete program. And, even though it only showed one camera angle, I must say it was complete success, proving that the video recording would be far superior to the costly and more time consuming film unit system from Sydney.

The poor Sydney people from TCN were a bit crestfallen when they saw the result of my recording. But they agreed that videotape was best. I got quite a few pats on the back for that effort, it proved again to me, that one of the great loves of my life was, running a live television camera and that I was good at it.

Much of my role now as Unit Manager would be with the crews and stage people, although I didn’t have a very good idea of my complete task. But it sure kept Me on my toes.

Once quickly finishing my normal tasks at Tuart Hill, I would go down to our office that we had set up at Perry Lakes. It was here that I fixed up any the problems and I also spent much time liaising with the Americans and helping them solve their problems and requests, dealing with local people and suppliers.

The Disney producers had chosen Kurt Russell, a new rising star to host the TV special. The American producers had adapted parts of the arena show for the 55-minute TV special. The shows writers had adapted the script and written hosting parts for Russell. He was a pleasant young chap, I think only about 16 years old time. On a couple of occasions I sat with him in the sun outside the tent, occasionally chatting and helping him learning lines, while he waited for his call for next sediment of the TV special being recorded inside.

There were quite some interesting and funny episodes dealing with the American producer’s. One such incident showed the great difference in what they thought was the cost of things and the differences between Australian and American dollars. The American Director early one Sunday afternoon during the recording, wanted to change a camera angle to be high above the seating at the back of the stage. He wanted a scissor lift. I found the suppliers and came back to him saying, yes it’s available but it was, what I thought terribly expensive, seeing it was Sunday and on short notice.

He said. “How much?” I told him expecting he would reject the idea. Instead he just said. “Man, that’s free.” Meaning that was cheap, it was something like $100 an hour plus travel time. So we hired a unit and its operator for all of Sunday afternoon. He mostly sat near his machine but enjoyed seeing the shows recording too. At one stage the Director wanted a real low angle shot late during one evenings recording, much lower than a small tripod could handle, the lens was to be level with the ground surrounding the stage. We bought in a bobcat and without asking anyone’s permission, dug about a two meters square hole about 1.5 meters deep in the middle of the Perry Lakes Rugby field over which the show tent had been erected. Once the shot was taken we filled it in again and kept our mouths shut about the experience. I hope the shots were worth it. Whether they got into the show I can’t remember.

Nobody was very keen to have the Americans driving themselves around in Perth because they drove always started on the wrong side of the road, and got lost so that many of their crew were always driven. Many of the off duty Channel 7 staff and parts of the sales and other department staff gave up time and sometimes holidays to drive the fleet of cars, driving around the Americans, they all had fun doing it. They and their families all got tickets to see the show.

An interesting aside was that, when the American producer Mike Grilikies and his Director finished recording the TV program, they both flew back to the States on different aircraft and the second copies of the hundreds of videotapes were also separated into two lots, and sent back on different aircraft, it was said that if one aircraft went down they wouldn’t lose the show!

The Bullen Brothers tent crews, augmented with extra hands, were hired for the TV special as stagehands. Some of the shows stage settings had to be taken down for the TV program, and this invariably happened after the show, and after the patron’s had gone home. Late one Saturday night I was instructing the Bullen crew to set up the Cinderella scenery ready for the TV show recordings to be started early Sunday morning. The leading stagehand came to me and said the crew would not start the setup until they had been paid. That really “foxed” me and I found myself knocking on Stafford Bullen’s caravan door at about midnight. The Bullen Brothers, like most of their crew all lived in large caravans on the Perry Lakes site. The door opened, and I told Stafford what the crew had said. He sort of snorted and pushed past me, and quickly walked across to the tent, jumped up onto the stage were all the men had assembled. He bellowed instructions and words to the effect that they would be paid after the set had gone in and not before! After the tongue lashing the men look crestfallen, because it was not a good idea to challenge their boss, and they got quickly to work. There was something about circus people. About an hour in half later, when all was finished and the setting was in place, Stafford appeared with the huge role of notes in his hand, and proceeded to peel of them are off one by one and give them to the men.

He turned to me and said, “If we’d pay ‘em before, we would have had problem, they’d have gone off and got drunk.” He turned and went back to his caravan and to bed, leaving me standing there with my mouth open. It was quite an experience working as Unit Manager on the TV program.

Not all experiences with the TV show recording were bad. There were many fond memories, and it was a great show, nothing like it had been seen for done in Australia before and yet we were doing it from Western Australia, here at Channel 7. The staging and dancing was colourful and spectacular, and of course the Disney tunes were memorable. The Dumbo Circus segments and the staging were well done. Snow White and the House of Cards dancing and costumes were very special. And the Cinderella segment was great entertainment. The sequences with the humorous segment of Cinderella’s Ugly Stepsisters bought the house down. The whole show was a real winner.

image005.jpg

The television set for the TV special of the Cinderella segment of the show inside the big tent at Perry Lakes rugby field.

I nearly forgot Mickey Mouse Birthday. It was decided to hold a giant birthday party in the main stadium of the Perry Lakes Stadium itself in which all the Disney characters arrived and had a party, including the of course you know who would cut a giant birthday cake and they would be much singing and dancing. The show was a great success, over 40,000 people turned up to celebrate and join in the fun. It was great publicity for the show too, because from the stadium you could look across to the rugby field and see the giant tent ready to stage the actual show, which incidentally was lit at night in spectacular fashion.

In my thoughts about the experience, it was sad that it was finished and the Americans had all gone home. But I was glad in another respect that MY workload was greatly reduced, and we got back to our core business television, and to our new special events department. It did however give me a greater insight into the expectation of what we would be involved in the future when Channel 7 took on the construction of the Perth Entertainment Centre on the old railway land along Wellington Street to be opened in 1975. That opened in spectacular fashion with the second Disney program featuring Peter Pan.

News Photo Collection

Posted by ken On March - 23 - 2009

A selection of News Department photos showing different newsreader over the decades, and many of the people responsible for bringing the daily news happenings into your home. People who often braved the elements to get a story, or in some cases became part of the story. Examples being the air crash which took the life of cine cameraman Dig Milner, whilst filming a story. And the late Matt Williams who had the unfortunate assignment of attending a fatal road accident, which involved his immediate family.

Studio Crews and Staff

Posted by ken On March - 19 - 2009

Studio crews, Engineering and Operational staff at TVW between 1976 and 1999.

Peter Croft – Evolution of transmission facilities

Posted by ken On March - 19 - 2009


Peter Croft.png

Peter Croft (TVW 1966-1999)

Peter Croft – Describes the evolution in broadcasting facilities from an autonomous local identity controlling program presentation and content to an automated operation under a centralised control, rebroadcasting delayed network programs emanating from the eastern states.

Peter Croft worked in Engineering and Operations at TVW from 1966 to 1999, during which time he participated in the pioneering black and white era of valves, right through the technologic transition of transistors, integrated circuits, colour television, stereo sound, automation to centralised networked programming.

During this time he both operated and maintained the equipment, and was involved in many station rebuilds as Peter’s remarkable collection of photographs document. A number of the photos were also contributed by colleague Peter Partridge.

The operational areas of Master Control, Telecine and Videotape were originally spread over two floors. Most of the early studio equipment was manufactured by PYE, with the exception of RCA videotape machines. It was very much a labour intensive manual operation, but that was to change.

98.jpg

1959 Master Control – Photo: Frank Evans

TVWtelecine1963.jpg

Ray Calley and Peter Buzzard in the original Telecine area

By 1971, all the broadcast equipment was consolidated in one operational area, with the building expanded to accommodate it. This included a combined telecine and videotape area, a partitioned off master control area, which by now was semi automated, employing the Master Control operator in the dual roles of Presentation Coordinator, and senior technician.

Peter Croft describes the facilities in use…

Below is a 1971 view of the Ward TSA250 stored program control desk which switched vision and sound to air. This was one of the first automated switchers in use and held 12 preset “events” entered by the operator beforehand according to the program log. There were no computers then and all the storage was done by discrete logic gates in RTL and DTL. There were no LEDs or LCDs either, and all the readouts were done by rear projection modules (the black rectangles, centre) with tiny lamps and film transparencies. These were from aircraft control panel manufacturers.

1971 MCR TSA250 a.jpg

The exact time of each commercial break and program start time had to be noted by the operator on the log, for later billing, along with any problems encountered. Keeping to time was also the task of the operator, with slippage a constant problem. The News had to go to air at EXACTLY 6pm, no matter what.

Videotape display.jpg

Video recording technology evolved considerably over the 33 years in which Peter spent with TVW. On the left is an example of valve operated 2 inch RCA videotape equipment, whilst on the right is an early example of transistorized RCA replay equipment.

1971 VT area P Partridge.jpg

A 1971 view of the Videotape area with Peter Partridge operating

1973 Telecine CP.jpg

Most programming came on 16mm film in the early days

Telecine in 1973 involved the use of a colour RCA telecine “chain” consisting of two film projectors, one dual drum slide projector and two cameras (one in cabinet, not visible, the other on the right of the slide drums). The device between the projectors is a system of mechanically interlocked mirrors called a multiplexer. Logic controlled which mirror was raised or lowered to direct any projector into either camera, so that the entire film and slide load could be carried by this one chain. The action of the mirrors was fast enough that a change could be made on air.

Most programming came on film in those days and the ladies in the film department cut the films and spliced in the commercials according to the program log given to them by the “Traffic” department. They did this with utter reliability, almost never making a mistake.

The spliced reels were left on a trolley for the operators to collect and lace up on the projectors. Each reel had one of these sheets showing exactly where the reel started and finished, all numbered in sequence.

The splices were made with black splicing tape, just like sticky tape, which held strong enough to go through the projector but not too strong to be removed again the next day.

By 1975 the videotape and telecine area was undergoing changes with the addition of two Ampex ACR25 2 inch videocassette machines.

1994 VC2.jpg

Ampex ACR25 2 inch videocassette machine

By this stage the place was looking rather cluttered.

1975 VT area 10.jpg

The sliding Compactus racks in the background held the hundreds of 2″ videocassettes for the ACRs.


December 1975, shows an operator at the Ampex AVR1 reel to reel VTR, with the RCA reel to reel TR70 between it and the Ampex ACR25 videocassette to the left. The AVR1 and the ACR25 were closely related in design and were triumphs of VTR development at the time.

1975 VT area Dec.jpg
Ampex ACR25 VTR, with the RCA TR70 between it and the Ampex AVR1

In the years from the introduction of colour TV in March 1975, TVW seemed to be constantly expanding its equipment and alterations to the transmission area such as this seemed never ending.

1976 Jan MCR move A.jpg

Frank Deusien (pink shirt) and Jim Barto (bending over).


1979 VT area -4.jpg

The revamped area in 1979 with Graham Basden to the left, leaning on the ACR, Deputy Chief Engineer Peter Niholls seated deep in thought over an RCA TR60 videotape machine fault.

1979 MCR Tom A.jpg

1979 – FRED the presentation desk in the early days of colour with Tom Mitchell at the controls

1982 Pres Dex Jan.jpg

The 1982 successor to the TSA250 (FRED) presentation switcher, Dexter Crowell at the controls.

Designed and built at TVW’s sister station, SAS10 in Adelaide, this was a fully computer (Intel 8085 !) controlled desk that could store hundreds of events ahead rather than just the 12 of FRED. This desk, of course, was known as New Fred. This photo was early in the installation with lots of gaping holes in the desk cabinets and a Logic Analyser (for debugging) almost permanently mounted on the desktop to the left. The design required months of work to make it reliable, but once settled in, it was remarkably good and lasted for many years.

1988 Feb MCR a.jpg

Master Control 1988

By 1988 the Master Control area was considerably changed. We were part of the Australia-wide Seven Network and this small desk and work area was occupied by a Master Control operator, sending and receiving news feeds via the Telecom east-west microwave system.

1988 VT area -3.jpg

Grant Salinger is at the videotape controls in 1988

1988 saw the Sony 1″ helical scan videotape almost banish the 2″ quad machines, as by then the AVR1s were gone. These Sony BVH2000s were unbelievably reliable and a dream to operate.

1988 VT area Feb.jpg

1988 – Another pair of Sony BVH2000s at left, with Tom Kiekheffer in red and Grant Salinger in white shirt

In the centre of the above photo is a Rank Cintel telecine (blue doors), which uses a CCD solid state scanner, capable of 16mm or 35mm film. Unfortunately it was rare to get a complete reel scanned without a breakdown, hence it saw little use.

1988 VT BCNs -4.jpg

1988 – Facilities to delay eastern states program for local broadcast

A small section was partitioned off to provide a VT area to record network programs. By now, most of our programming was coming from Sydney and an operator was constantly assigned to record the incoming programs. He or she could see the Sydney program controller’s schedule on the monitor in the centre and manually recorded at the appropriate times. The recordings were taken to a playback VTR for play to air two hours later, WA time and three hours in summer.

1992 TVW MCR a.jpg

By 1992, full networking was in operation in the Seven Network and this was the operator’s position. We were also in stereo audio operation by now, hence the dual speakers and meters.

1992 TVW MCR b.jpg

1992 – A further view of the Master Control area

The monitor at bottom left was a Control Data VAX computer terminal directly fed from ATN7 Sydney Master Control’s VAX mini-computer for scheduling of all the transfers each day for weeks ahead.

Note the computer tiled floor, covering many thousands of cables and allowing cold air to be ducted up through the equipment racks into the ceiling. The yellow stripey sign at the back was for placing over the holes when tiles were lifted!

1992 TVW MCR c.jpg

1992 – A reverse view of Master Control

This was extremely labour intensive and error prone videotape recording of eastern states program for replaying locally to suit WA scheduled times, was first replaced by an automated system in 1993, still using analogue videotape, then later by a digital hard disk/computer based system, totally automatic, by 1998.

Peter Croft Photographic Collection

Each photo is provided with a full description, which is available by clicking on the Flickr option when viewing it.