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australian broadcasting corporation history

I started my television career at the ABC TV studios at Ripponlea in Melbourne and then later at Gore Hill, Sydney. I still use those skills today and I owe a lot to the superb technical training the ABC and RMIT supplied when I was a young technician in training.

November 2006 was the 50th anniversary of the commencement of ABC television transmission in Sydney and Melbourne. This page and associated links are devoted to some of that history.

  • abc reconnect
    The abc reconnect web site includes ABC television historical photos and graphics, a forum for you and all the information you need about what's happening.
  • abv2 history
    Rick Hunter a former ABV technician in training and currently a technical producer started this site as an addition to the ABV Footy Tipping web site. He has done a wonderful job and there are more than 1600 photos starting with the building of the Ripponlea TV studios in 1956.
  • abc tv at gore hill in the fifties
    Bob Sitsky and Col McPherson are former ABN technicians in training who have devoted the past few years to compiling historical data for their web site to celebrate ABC TV at Gore Hill in the Fifties.
    This web site is filled with ABC TV history articles, contributions, interviews, photos and movies. Everyone interested in television should experience this web site.
  • 50 years of abc tv
    This is a link to the 50 years of ABC TV web site. The 50 years of ABC TV web site includes an active video time line, competitions and quizzes and covers 50 years of ABC TV programs.
  • history of the abc
    This is a link to the History of the ABC web site which includes radio and television history.
    The ABC is Australia′s only national, non-commercial broadcaster, the ABC has shared its history and development with the growth of our nation. It has become an important part of Australia′s cultural heritage, fostering the arts and reflecting the nation's cultural diversity.
  • the 729 club
    The 729 Club was located in the Sydney suburbs of Crows Nest then St Leonards during what most would call the 'pioneering' days of the Australian television industry.
    This web site is a reminder of those great days when the club existed and as a tribute to the former and current employees of the broadcast sector, now celebrating 50 years of television in Australia.

The following books have been released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of ABC Television in Australia.

  • alright leaving here–50 years of abc technical services
    Written by Doug Grant an ex ABC TV Engineer at Gore Hill and is now available for perusal and purchase at the link above. This is a must have for the libraries of current and former ABC technical staff and anyone else interested in the history of television broadcasting in Australia.
  • aunty's jubilee - celebrating 50 years of abc tv
    Aunty′s Jubilee tells of the extraordinary passion and skill of the people who made the programs, the drama, the news and current affairs, the entertainment, and of the programs themselves.
    Tim Bowden and Wendy Borchers have tapped the memories of many of the ABC TV pioneers from the early years, they've plundered the incomparable ABC archives, and drawn on their own long experiences with the broadcaster.
    This is a must buy for everyone interested in television in Australia.

abc department of content services

Otherwise known as Archives and Library Services, manages the ABC’s archival records as a resource for programmers, authors, researchers and members of the public.

There are gaps in its collection which you might be able to fill. You could add donate items that would add to an understanding of the ABC’s history and enrich the collections with your records or recollections on paper of significant events.

To be useful to the collection you should provide some background information about the context of the material and your own involvement with it.

Contact Guy Tranter about donations on 02 8333 3204.