Eric Pearce (broadcaster)

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Sir Eric Herbert Pearce, OBE (5 March 190512 April 1997) was an English-born broadcaster and television pioneer in Australia. Pearce was born in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England, and had an early career in radio on the

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before migrating to Australia, where he was a long-term newsreader on

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

television stations HSV Channel 7 (1956–65) and GTV Channel 9 (late 1950s–74, 1976–78). Pearce's

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

sign-off of his news reports, "God bless you, and you", was for viewers and his third wife.

Biography

Eric Herbert Pearce was born on 5 March 1905 and grew up in

, England. He was the elder son of H. C. Pearce of

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

, Isle of Wight. He completed his studies at

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

. Pearce worked for an insurance company and was transferred to Canada. On 11 April 1933 Pearce married Ella Mary, a sales woman, in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

and the couple had a son, Royston Gyles Pearce, that same year. Pearce returned to England in 1937. He started his radio career and had worked for the

...
– his first time on air had been on a talent quest singing, "Little Man, You've Had a Busy Day". Pearce moved to Australia in 1938. In September 1939 in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Pearce was engaged to Jean Mary Macartney (1909–1956),. and married later that year.. By 1942 they were living in Melbourne. During World War 2, on 17 January 1942, Pearce enrolled in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

and was discharged as a Flying Officer on 29 December that year. In 1956 Jean Mary Pearce died in Sydney, aged 47.. In 1962 Pearce compiled a book, ''Thoughts for Everyday Living: Philosophies and Poetry'', for the 75th Year Jubilee Building Appeal of the

Queen Victoria Hospital The Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH), located in East Grinstead, West Sussex, England is the specialist reconstructive surgery centre for the south east of England, and also provides services at clinics across the region. It has become world-fam ...

. He had selected various poems, quotations and maxims. By 1963 Pearce had married a third time, to Betty and he had a step-daughter, Suzanne Constance Pearce. His third wife died in 1987. Sir Eric Pearce died on 12 April 1997, aged 92, in a

Malvern Malvern or Malverne may refer to: Places Australia * Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne * City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne * Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...

nursing home. He had been a devout

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

, regularly attending St John's in Toorak.

Radio career

In August 1954, Pearce said that " elevision isthe most potent force for good or evil that's ever been discovered in the communications field of entertainment." Pearce worked at numerous radio stations in the pre-television era, he had started at 2CH as an announcer upon arriving in Sydney from England.. Upon relocating to Melbourne in 1940 he worked at 3XY in radio drama and as a studio manager. In 1942, after his war service, he transferred to 3DB as the chief announcer and feature compere. At 3DB he planned drama and music programmes, ''Life of Melba'', ''Opera for the People'' and ''The Amazing Oscar Hammerstein''; and the ''Mobil Quest''. He also hosted the annual Radio Hospital Appeal for four years. From April 1950 he was general manager of 5KA in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

until October 1954 when he returned to Sydney. In August that year Pearce described the new medium of television, "It's the most potent force for good or evil that's ever been discovered in the communications field of entertainment." When GTV-9 purchased 3AK in April 1962, all GTV-9 personalities were expected to present programs on 3AK. The one-hour program, ''A Call from Eric'', was a request program presented by Pearce from 9.00 am each weekday. In July 1993, Pearce was interviewed by Denzil Howson on his radio career for Once Upon a Wireless Productions, the recording is preserved by the

National Film & Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national c ...

Television career

When television came to Australia in 1956, many radio figures sought and achieved employment in the new medium. Pearce was no exception, moving to HSV Channel 7 in Melbourne working as a newsreader and quiz show host. Pearce provided the first TV news report for that channel on 4 November 1956. '' The Argus'' reviewer F. Keith Manzie described Melbourne's first TV broadcast "I liked Eric Pearce as a compere. His easy-mannered, genial personality came right through the viewing screen in the quiz show, ''I've Got a Secret'' ... isreading of the news was illustrated with appropriate newsreel shots". In 1956 he was also co-host of the series '' Eric and Mary'', and in 1957 he was host of '' Be My Guest''. Pearce resigned from HSV-7 in the late 1950s. He believed that newsreaders required credibility and that doing anything other than news for a job was ill-advised. When GTV Channel 9 offered him employment as chief news reader without him having to do any other shows, he took it. In 1961, he appeared in ''

Let Me Read to You ''Let Me Read to You'' is an Australian television series which aired on Melbourne station GTV-9 during 1961. Aired in a 15-minute time-slot on Sundays, it consisted of Eric Pearce reading from popular works, accompanied by backdrops. The series ...

'', in which he would read from popular works. Typically Pearce read the news to Melburnians with his catchphrase sign-off, "God bless you, and you", the second "you" being directed at his wife, Betty. He is best regarded for his coverage of the

Moon landing A Moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2, on 13 September 1959. The United St ...

in July 1969. In 1978 Pearce retired and was replaced as GTV Channel 9 newsreader by Brian Naylor. In 1993 he was still working for GTV Channel 9 as a news adviser and head of correspondence, although his official title was Director of Community Affairs. Melissa Agnew describes Pearce in her 2008 book, ''Here Is the (Australian) News'', as one of the "commanding voices ... who, with his golden voice of authority delivered the news on Channel 9". Both

Peter Mitchell Peter or Pete Mitchell may refer to: Media *Pete Mitchell (broadcaster) (1958–2020), British broadcaster *Peter Mitchell (newsreader) (born 1960), Australian journalist *Peter Mitchell (photographer) (born 1943), British documentary photographer ...

(''

Seven News Melbourne ''7NEWS'' is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while flagship 6pm bulletins are p ...

'') and

Peter Hitchener Peter Donald Beauchamp Hitchener OAM (born 21 February 1946) is an Australian television presenter. He has been the chief news presenter for GTV-9 of their flagship bulletin '' Nine News Melbourne'' since 1998, and prior to that was the weekend ...

(''

Nine News Melbourne ''Nine News Melbourne'' is the weeknight, flagship news bulletin of the Nine Network in Australia. It is screened in Melbourne and Tasmania, and across Victoria. Like all ''Nine News'' bulletins, the Melbourne bulletin runs for one hour, from 6 ...

'') acknowledge Pearce as "one of their biggest influences. They both worked under him at Channel 9".

Private life

Pearce was married three times: Ella Mary ( fl. 1933); Jean Mary Macartney (1909–1956); and Betty Patterson (nee: Ham) (1918-1987). He was a devout

Honours and recognition

In March 1965 Eric Pearce received a

Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

for 'Outstanding Services to News Reading (Victoria)'. On 1 January 1970 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Civil) with a citation "for services to broadcasting". On 16 June 1979, he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

for "services to the community". Pearce was the patron of the Deafblind Association (from 2006 it is known as Able Australia) and was succeeded in 1998 by fellow GTV 9 newsreader, Peter Hitchener. From the 1970s Pearce supported the Richmond Community Health Centre; in 1994 it was re-built as a residential aged care facility and named, Sir Eric Pearce House, in recognition of his support. On 20 September 1980 Sir Eric Pearce was presented with the Rostrum Award of Merit, for excellence in the art of public speaking over a considerable period and his demonstration of an effective contribution to society through the spoken word. In 1984 the ''

Camellia reticulata ''Camellia reticulata'' (syn. ''C. heterophylla'')
is a

From January 2009 to November 2011, Roy Slaven (as a member of

Roy & HG Roy and HG are an Australian comedy duo, comprising Greig Pickhaver in the role of "H. G. Nelson" and John Doyle as "'Rampaging' Roy Slaven". Their act is an affectionate but irreverent parody of Australia's obsession with sport. Their charac ...

) read an excerpt from ''Thoughts for Everyday Living: Philosophies and Poetry'', as a tribute to Pearce, at the start of each episode of ''The Life'', a

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 40 radio stations broadcasting a mainstream rock music format and 5 digital radio stations. The network dates back to th ...

radio drive-time program.

References

External links

* Photographs: *
"Immigration – Migrants in Employment – Communications Industry – Eric Pearce (later Sir), doyen of newsreaders"
by Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, 1972, stored at

National Archives of Australia The National Archives of Australia (NAA), formerly known as the Commonwealth Archives Office and Australian Archives, is an Australian Government agency that serves as the national archives of the nation. It collects, preserves and encourages ...

, Canberra. *
"Photograph – Centenary Day, Royal Exhibition Building, 1 Oct 1980"
stored at

Museum Victoria Museums Victoria is an organisation which operates three major state-owned museums in Melbourne, Victoria: the Melbourne Museum, the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks Museum. It also manages the Royal Exhibition Building and a storage facili ...

. *
"Jeff Kennett & Sir Eric Pearce"
by

Rennie Ellis Reynolds Mark Ellis (11 November 194019 August 2003) was an Australian social and social documentary photographer. He also worked, at various stages of his life, as an advertising copywriter, seaman, lecturer, television presenter and founder of ...

, 1991, possibly

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

(25 April), stored at

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Eric 1905 births 1997 deaths Australian Anglicans Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian television presenters British emigrants to Australia Logie Award winners Television personalities from Melbourne