CHANNEL 9 TELETHON - THE FIRST 40 YEARS!
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Television was established in South Australia in 1959, with NWS9 leading the charge as the first station to air. The potential of this exciting new medium to assist charities was recognised by the then Managing Director of NWS9, Mr Bill Davies.
In 1960, Telethon Incorporated was registered and the founding members of Telethon were Messrs WLC Davies, John Doherty, Rex Heading, George Snedden and Ruby Litchfield.
The first on-air appeal was conducted in 1960,
raising a total of $25,000 in support of the Crippled Children's Association,
and Telethon was born. The on-air appeal was a 24-hour entertainment program,
during which viewers would phone in with donations of money.
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| In 1961, Dame Ruby Litchfield DBE formed a special committee to conduct the Miss Telethon Quest. Quest entrants conducted fundraising activities in support of local charities during a one-year period, were then judged according to strict criteria, and finally, in a glittering television ceremony, the Miss Telethon and Miss Charity Queen were crowned. The quest continued until 1993, raising more than $5 million during this time. |  |
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The Telethon House of Hope commenced in the early 1960's. Entrants paid 20 cents for an entry form on which they wrote their estimate of the value of the home. The person guessing the correct value was the winner of a home and land package. In a slight variation for one year only, in 1970 a complete Telethon Village was built in place of the House of Hope. The winner was able to choose the home of their dreams from the 5 homes constructed at Monalta. |
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This fundraising opportunity has developed over four decades to become the current Home and Land Lottery - South Australia's biggest charity lottery.
Movie premieres, monster tele-auctions in Bonython Park, the Telethon gala ball all become special events on the annual Telethon calendar.
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Through the 70's Telethon's fundraising included the annual Car lottery (still an annual fixture on the Telethon Calendar), Johnnies Greatest stocking, Humphrey Bear's Birthday Party, Telethon Fair, Doorknock appeal, special Telethon records featuring recordings from 20 top Australian artists, 8-ball competitions, weekly discotheques and bingo sessions. |
| The 80's saw a change in the way Telethon raised funds. The on-air appeal ended, to be replaced with a series of special events. September 17th 1981 was the World Premiere of the movie 'Gallipoli' and Telethon was the beneficiary of the opening night event. Actors Mel Gibson and Mark Lee were joined by Gallipoli veterans from around Australia. There was even a surprise visit by Peter Allen! |
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| On the 10 November 1985, the Hill-Smith Family of Yalumba Wine Company and the Angelakis Family presented the Seafood Affair in support of Telethon. Special guests cook spectacular seafood delicacies for guests each year. Over $250,000 has been raised from this annual event. This has become one of Telethon's most successful annual events. |  |
In the 90's, this special event format of fundraising was developed even further. At the Ramada Grand, Glenelg in November 1990, Channel 9 Telethon held the very first function at the hotel - the Melbourne Cup Luncheon.
The Great Wings and Wheels Challenge was held at Parafield Airport in November 1993 with vintage planes, cars and bikes racing down the runway in a series of 400m sprints. Displays featuring rare cars, bikes, planes were on view during the day.
In October 1994 Bunnings joined forces with Channel 9 Telethon to present the Telethon Bunnings Charity Auction. Bunnings suppliers and other local companies donated thousands of dollars worth of goods and services, which bidders could pick up at bargain prices on auction day. The Auction is also one of Channel 9 Telethon's annual events today.
Into 2000, Channel 9 Telethon is busier than ever. Check out our EVENTS page to see the latest Calendar of Events.
Here is a video produced
by Channel 9 about Telethon. We have presented it in two formats High
Quality AVI (4,298Kb) or Low
quality Real Media (144Kb)| First 40 Years | On-Air Appeals | Telethon Quest | House Of Hope |
