Ian Fairweather, former TV presenter and producer, has died at age 86.
His family told ABC that he died at Gosford Hospital in New South Wales due to complications after a fall.
He was one of the pioneers at Adelaide’s first TV station, NWS9, and gained a following as presenter of the children’s program The Channel Niners and appearing in the channel’s Christmas pantomime, Cinderella. He also presented on the pop music show Woodie’s Teen Time and, in 1961, won a TV Week Logie Award for his popularity with South Australians.
He went on to present and produce national programs Here’s Humphrey and The Curiosity Show from NWS9, establishing the station as a key outlet for children’s television production.
For many years he was also Ernie Sigley‘s sidekick on Adelaide Tonight. In 1969 he was one of numerous Adelaide TV personalities to make a guest appearance at rival channel SAS10‘s Today Show as part of the show’s 1000th episoide.
He hosted Showcase Auditions and co-hosted a weekly interview program, People, with Heather Eggleton.
In 1980 he moved to the eastern states to lead the Broadcasting Information Office (BIO), an agency proposed to act as an industry watchdog or ombudsman outside of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal. The BIO was scrapped in a government review of communications functions the following year.
He then went on to become head of children’s programming for Network Ten, with programs including Off The Dish, Double Dare, Ridgey Didge, Mulligrubs, The Miraculous Mellops, Ocean Girl and Mirror, Mirror.
Source: ABC, IMDB. TV Guide, 8 June 1969, 21 August 1971, 22 December 1973, 2 March 1974. The Age, 22 January 1981, 16 January 1986. Sydney Morning Herald, 23 February 1981, 1 May 1981, 18 August 1986.
I worked with Ian at the BIO as an administrator. He was always so kind, caring and considerate. The best manager I ever had. We shared an office in the upper floors of a government building in North Sydney, with incredible views across the harbour and the bridge.