Legendary Australian TV presenter dies at age 79
Australian TV presenter and journalist Simon Townsend has died at the age of 79.
Townsend died on Tuesday after a battle with an aggressive form of cancer, with his family confirming the news of his passing in a statement.
The statement read, “In his final days, Simon was surrounded by his family and a mix of journalists, writers, actors, political activists and Italians."
“The conversation to the last was loud, passionate and full of laughs.”
Townsend was best known for creating and hosting children’s entertainment TV show Wonder World on Network 10, which ran between 1979 and 1987 and won five Logie Awards.
“Simon often found himself in a stoush with Australian children’s television regulators, fighting to maintain his show’s boundary-pushing ethos and preserve his children’s TV rating,” his family’s statement continued.
“The edict to all involved in making the show was that they never talk down to children.”
Townsend was also known for a stint in Long Bay jail that sparked protests across Sydney, after he became a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War.
Townsend's passing prompted a wave of tributes from Australian media personalities, with Amanda Keller being the first to share her experience of working with Townsend as she revealed her first job was on Wonder World.
“I was a researcher there, and was lucky enough to work alongside some of the most talented people of my generation,” Keller wrote.
“Many of my closest friends today are from those days. I’ll forever be grateful to the show, and to the groundbreaking force that was Simon Townsend. My condolences to all who loved him.”
Image credits: Network 10