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Friday 6 October 2006
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The current exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum is bound to make Australian audiences nostalgic. On the box: great moments in Australian television 1956 – 2006 celebrates 50 years of television in Australia; television started on 16th September, 1956. There’s footage from a huge range of programs, interactive sets and lots of memorabilia. There’s even the original set from Blue Heelers. A bomb blast on the program made this set redundant.
Peter Cox, the curator of the Exhibition takes Andy through some of the most popular programs. There is the hugely successful and long-lasting program, Bob and Dolly Dyer’s Pick-a-Box, the father of all Australian quiz shows. Number 96 was the start of a stream of soaps such as Neighbours, Young Doctors and Sons and Daughters among many others. Mr Squiggle and Skippy were very popular with the kids. Skippy generated a lot of merchandise and was one of the first programs to do so.
In the 1970s the biggest innovation was the arrival of colour. It made a huge difference to television viewing, especially sport, as the contending players were more easy to follow.
Peter believes that it will be new technology rather than a big change in format that will lead us through the first few decades of the 21st century.
Unfortunately a lot of TV memorabilia has been thrown out as it became obsolete over the past 50 years. As a result anything to do with television is valuable and very collectable.
The Exhibition runs until 29th January 2007.
For further reading: 50 Years: Celebrating a Half-Century of Australian Television, David Clark & Steve Samuelson, Random House, Australia.
The Powerhouse Museum is at 500 Harris Street, Ultimo, New South Wales.
Information line (02) 92170444 10am – 5pm
