Rick Ardon and Susannah Carr celebrate 30 years reading Seven News together      Seven in Perth has the distinction of having two of the most popular and trusted newsreaders in Australia, who have not only served longer than any other pair in the country, but have lived the era of much of the recent history of our State and Nation. This gives them an air of authority, compared to the ever changing presenters on the other stations. The viewing public see them as a constant, reliably being there to convey the good and bad news of the day. The popularity of Seven...

A Historic Era of Television Activity is Coming to a Close for Seven Perth     Perth’s three commercial television stations established their studios at one of the highest points in the metropolitan area, so they could had a direct line of sight to the transmitter sites in the Darling Ranges. With TVW Channel Seven opening on Friday October 16th, 1959 and STW Channel Nine following on Saturday 12 June 1965. It would be another twenty three years before Perth gained its third commercial television station. The Television Precinct     Meanwhile...

Celebrating the life of Miss Coralie Condon Coralie Condon and Max Kay judging Stars of the Future     Coralie Condon died peacefully at Castledare Nursing Home on 24 December, 2014, aged 99. Only a few months short of her birthday on May 16th.     Coralie was an actress, writer, composer, producer, presenter, business woman, the Grande Dame of Perth theatre and the First Lady of Western Australian Television.     She was a great friend for many at the old Rep, Playhouse, Music Hall, Dirty Dicks and a string of other theatre restaurants.    ...

    An important phase in Perth theatrical life was the period of the Playhouse Theatre in Perth, which opened on Wednesday 22 August, 1956, with the production “The Teahouse of the August Moon” written by the American playwright and screenwriter John Patrick, and directed by Nita Pannell. The cast included James Condon, James Kemp, Michael Cole, Penelope Hanrahan, Garry Meadows and Frank Baden-Powell. Coralie Condon was on the theatre company’s management committee, whilst also conducting her own school of speech and drama. The Playhouse in 1956    ...

    Coralie Condon gently passed away at 7am on Christmas Eve 2014, aged 99, at the Castledare Retirement Village, in Wilson. Once the site of the Castledare Boys Home and still the location of the Castledare Miniature Railway. Coralie Condon (OAM)     Coralie was an actress, writer, composer, producer, presenter, business woman, the Grande Dame of Perth theatre and the First Lady of Western Australian Television.     Much of the following is based on Coralie’s reminiscences, those also of her close friends and a paraphrasing of the many...

DOUGIE FLYPAST By Stuart Joynt     Douglas Joseph Burton MBE – what an extraordinary man, what an extraordinary life.     Footballer, cricketer, baseballer, pilot, father, father-figure, grandfather, photographer extraordinaire and master planner.     It won’t come as a surprise to anyone that Doug actually wanted to be a sports journalist and so it’s completely predictable that he created Australia’s first super group of what today we’d call photo journalists.     I see many of those proud young practitioner’s of the...

DOUGLAS JOSEPH BURTON By Jan Burton Jackson     Among the lifetime collection of photographs, negatives, documents and writings of the late photojournalist Douglas Joseph Burton is a piece of ageing copy paper on which he long ago typed: “The eye of the camera records all that is true, from the first visible beginnings of life, from the atom to the powerful constellation in outer spaces, and enables man to see what would otherwise be concealed from him.” The truth of his life’s work in one sentence.     They were the words of the eminent British arts administrator...

DOUGLAS JOSEPH BURTON By Jan Burton Jackson (Continuing the story of the 1952 Atom Bomb expedition.)     Doug was second in command of this expedition. Its leader was John Nicol, a former naval commander with considerable bush experience. Also there was James Cruthers, a reporter for The West Australian who in his journal described Doug: … ‘a good-looking man, tall and with short, curly brown hair… 33 and in his earlier years had been a fine athlete… I knew him well as an exceedingly popular man with an amazing capacity for making friends…Whenever he introduced...

Michael Baker’s Eulogy to Douglas Joseph Burton MBE Douglas Joseph Burton MBE All of us gather here today to celebrate the life of a man who was much loved, admired and respected by so many. Douglas Joseph Burton MBE Carol, Janice, Judith, Kim and their families will miss him so much, so will his friends. Standing left to right – Kim (Day), Judy (McGuire), Carole (McAlwey), Jan (Jackson) Seated – Doug Burton I would like to take you down memory lane and share with you a few glimpses of what went on behind the scenes and also some of the issues that...

DOUGLAS J BURTON By Darcy Farrell It’s easy to see how Doug Burton was chosen to be a wartime flight instructor. You often hear the statement ‘he’s a born leader’. That term is sometimes used loosely. But Doug was a born leader – akin to General Peter Cosgrove. In leadership qualities Doug Burton reminds me of General Cosgrove, Weary Dunlop and Angus Houston. Sir Peter Cosgrove His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) graduated from the Royal Military College Duntroon in 1968 and rose to become the Chief of Australia’s Defence...