I started with Crawfords in the 1960's when I was 15 (now 57) and my first job in television was emptying Hector's rubbish bin and every Wednesday cleaning Roland Strong and Dorothy Crawford's house in Toorak.
I had many happy moments hiding out in the old hydraulic lift in the Collins Street building (Olderfleet). I got to work on Crawfords, taping up the rehearsal rooms after roneoing off the scripts, a bit of Video village. A bit of the musical programme whose name now eludes me (I thought it may have been Quest but that was an ABC programme I think) and a few corporates (Dunlop Rubber in Footscray is one I remember), carrying lights etc.
I learnt a lot about TV in those days particularly attention to detail as I was eventually sacked for giving Hector the wrong bin one day. I inadvertantly swapped his bin with Mr Pascoe's bin. Big Mistake!! I think he was in a bad mood as one of his Victorian Symphony Orchestra members had suggested he couldn't read music the day before and it was reported in the papers.
I am now Head of On-Air Control and Production in Indonesia for Kabelvision after having worked in The Asian area for
15 years.
For a few years in the early 90's I was Executive in Charge of Production for the Television Corporation of Singapore.
I picked up a silver medal at the New York festivals in the 90's for work I did with the ABC. Had it have been the
Gold Medal I would have mentioned Hector and his bin.
It was my big start in this business!
25th Jul 2005