For decades Australians believed that Bruce Gyngell was the first person to appear on national TV, but recently discovered archival footage reveals something different.
The archive footage were found as Channel 7 celebrates 70 years on air.
Since 1956, Australians believed Bruce Gyngell with his famous greeting: “Good evening and welcome to television,” was the first person on Australian TV.
However, decades earlier silent movie star Janet Gaynor appeared on TV in 1934, which means that Australia’s first TV station operated over 90 years ago, holding the first full TV license both nationally and in the Southern Hemisphere.
X-ray technician Tom Elliott broadcast the photos with viewers.
“And then I loaned him a piece of film which showed Mickey Mouse playing the piano. And of course, when that came over [the air], we got a terrific thrill,” Elliott’s friend Alan Campbell recalled.
The footage showed what TV looked like back in the day, with the station broadcasting for only two hours a day, from 7.30pm till 9.30pm, with various programs.
During the Second World War, broadcast TV was stopped temporarily, before it was revived later on.
In 1956 it was relaunched, and in a later interview, Gyngell recalled what it was like to broadcast from a cramped studio.
“The chair wouldn’t move any further, so I had to sit like this to get on camera,” Gyngell recalled. “So I sat the entire night with my left shoulder dropped and my right shoulder up saying, ‘good evening, ladies and gentlemen. And welcome to television’.”
Image: 7News
