#john leary

[newsatsix1986]

Dale Jennings in The Newsreader’s S03E06, hanging back wearily in the newsroom hallway ❤️🌟🤴🏼

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It was the evening of the 7th November 1989; a special bulletin on the calendar for News At Six. With the foil decorations hanging on the walls of the news studio, it was evident that they were celebrating the race that stops the nation; the Melbourne Cup.

Dale told his audience about the “commanding win by Tawrrific” and also the triumph for trainer Lee Freedman, who had also trained the runner-up Super Impose. “A rare quinella in Australian racing history,” Dale said, his voice cracking, like he was on the verge of tears. Despite his efforts to put on his famous showman smile, Cheryl and Frank glanced at each other, seeing through the facade.

When Frank signalled the end of the bulletin, Dale hurried away from the desk, breathlessly grabbing at his chest and tie in panic, heading for the makeup room. Picking up a thin manila folder, he addressed Cheryl. “Is this it?” “Huh?” Cheryl was confused. “Where is it, the audience feedback? On Tuesdays I get it all. The letters, the reports, the tapes.” Dale continued. Today’s delivery had certainly fallen short of that. “That’s all Jean left!” Cheryl answered. Dale rushed for the newsroom, Cheryl gazing after with a concerned expression.

In the newsroom; equally as adorned with decorations and festivities as the studio, the office were cackling away, for reasons Dale did not yet know. A robotic voice came from the television speakers; an assurance to viewers that there was still only one king of news. Dread washed over Dale. It was that comedy impersonator, and all his coworkers were laughing, at him.

As the impersonator boasted about how he could pronounce complex names, Jean turned around and caught his eye; the only person in the room to realise his presence. Her face softened, her expression guilt-ridden in nature, as the laughter continued to erupt around them. Dale’s eyes glazed over with hurt, and upon the impersonator’s comments about clenched buttocks, he turned and left for home; dismayed and feeling more detached from the world than ever before.

[babadork]

[polkadotjohnson]

The Barry and Christou Show, 1977

[shannonwdaily]

katjaherbers: Turning the outrage into protesting with friends, I recommend it. #abolishice #keepfamiliestogethermarch

[newsatsix1986]

It is a ripper of a Newsreader birthday today! 🎉

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We are celebrating Mr Jackson Tozer’s birthday today; the bloke who plays our favourite sound technician Ross McGrath!

Every workplace has to have the ‘class clown,’ the person who is able to light up the place with their funny remarks and defuse stressful situations, and that is exactly the role Ross fills in News At Six. From speculating who is the big spoon or the little spoon in a relationship to loosen up a stilted reporter, to commenting on the material of someone’s trousers, to noting that ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ are fighting like cats and dogs, there are many memorable moments!

Ross throws himself headfirst into fun and parties hard; ripping his shirt open and pouring beer all over himself at Christmas parties, and diving fully clothed into pools at weddings. He valued his friendships with Tim, Brian and Murray, who he worked close with in the series. He is so open with his love for his mates, which is why he was surprised to find out Tim had a male partner he had no idea about, but he was quick to embrace Lee on the dance floor. Anyone precious to Tim is precious to Ross.

Ross does know when seriousness is called for too; watching the Hoddle Street footage with sadness, and despite being afraid, bravely staying on the scene of the Russell Street bombing, capturing the sounds of the scene around him and was the vital communication link for the office.

Jackson brought so much vibrancy to playing Ross over the years, and especially to my set visit day last year, where he made Mum and I feel right at home with his humorous remarks and good-hearted nature, and he even sat down with me at Dennis’ desk as we took a breather from filming.

A big happy birthday to you Jackson, from Newsreader fans everywhere! ❤️🎉🎂🤴🏻

[newsatsix1986]

Rob Rickards at Cheryl and Brian’s wedding 💜🌟💍

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On the morning of Cheryl and Brian’s wedding, Dale and Kay greeted Rob at his seat. “Hey Rob, is Noelene coming?” Kay queried. Rob hoped she would. “Uh, yeah. Later, hopefully. She’s been caught up all weekend,” he explained.

It certainly had been a trying time at Public Eye; Noelene’s workplace. “See what happened with Helen?” Rob asked those in his row. “Oh, yeah,” Dale replied softly. “Horrible,” Evelyn replied, catching Rob’s eye. It appeared the exposé about Helen’s institutionalisation history was on everyone’s minds. It was a disgraceful article, and Rob was feeling gutted for Helen.

“So, was Lindsay in on that? That story?” Rob questioned Dale. “Don’t know,” Dale answered. “He was quoted extensively,” Evelyn added. “Alright, Mum,” Kay attempted to hush her mother, however Evelyn seemed thrilled to dish the dirt on Lindsay.

Rob wanted to get to the bottom of all of this. “Yeah, but did he set it up?” “I’m not sure, Rob,” Dale told his colleague, understanding Rob’s feelings of frustration. “Well, in my experience with that man, it’s usually wise to assume the worst.” Evelyn shared, her years of experience with Lindsay and Geoff giving her a pretty well informed opinion of the man.

Rob just didn’t get why Lindsay would do this to Helen. “But why now?” He exasperated, and Evelyn sighed heavily, as Kay eyed off Lindsay across the aisle, scratching his face, unaware that he was the subject of gossip. Rob shook his head. He had been having second thoughts about his boss for quite some time, and he knew that a line had been seriously crossed, one which he could not stand for.

[newsatsix1986]

Michelle Lim Davidson and Sam Reid, behind the scenes of The Newsreader throughout all its seasons! ❤️🌟👸🏻🤴🏼

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Gosh these photos that Michelle has shared over the years are lovely! She is really the cast member who has brought us the most behind the scenes goodies, and I’m so grateful for her. The second one must have been from the Russell Street episode (S01E04), as they appear to have foot coverings to protect their vintage shoes from the outside elements.

Ever since the very first episode, Noelene and Dale have had a lovely work friendship, with so much respect for each other’s contributions and knowledge, and this friendship lasted all the way up until Noelene jumped ship to Public Eye. Knowing that Noelene had been at News At Six since roughly 1984, that was a six year friendship between them!

Something that The Newsreader does well is celebrate platonic relationships, and Noelene and Dale are a perfect example of this. They’re cosy and friendly with each other, they guide each other to where they want to be career-wise (Noelene guiding Dale through his first time on the desk, Dale seeing Noelene as his most trusted producer), and they have always had each other’s backs.

Dale relied on Noelene so much that he even called her whilst she was preparing to give birth to Hana; he simply would not trust anyone else’s insights into Bob Hawke’s biography! Actually, maybe that was pushing the friendship too much… I would not have been opposed to Noelene yelling at Dale for that phone call! 😉 For those wanting to read the biography, by the way, my research found that the exact book that is pictured in this scene is 'Robert J. Hawke', written by Blanche d'Alpuget. According to Goodreads, this version was published in 1985 by Penguin Books!

Today is the last time that you will be stepping into the News At Six newsroom properly here at NAS1986, until mid July at the earliest! We’ve got some terrific new places to explore within the show for the next month, and two Newsreader friends’ birthdays might be this week too! I wonder who they could be? 🤔❤️🌟📺

[newsatsix1986]

Dale, Jean, Ross and others in The Newsreader’s S03E06 ❤️🌟📺

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Ever since the clapperboard image was shared on Screen Australia’s Instagram account back in September 2024, I had been eager to see the entirety of this scene, which would end up being one of the opening scenes of our series finale.

Now, having seen it multiple times, it is a scene as jubilant as it is saddening. It was a thrill seeing another appearance by Andy Matthews, playing Comedy Sketch Dale, and hearing Nicolette Minster’s voice in the background too, as Comedy Sketch Helen. The News At Six team were having a wicked time cackling away as the comedian took the mickey out of their star newsreader, and this was yet another nod to Australia’s love of sketch comedy programmes in 1989, such as Fast Forward, The Big Gig and The Comedy Company.

As much as parodies such as Dale’s are fondly remembered retrospectively, this scene also shows the other perspective; the impact that constant jibs and jabs can potentially have on those at the centre of the jokes. Although it wouldn’t be entirely true to suggest that being parodied on television was the sole cause of Dale’s deteriorating mental health, it certainly played a role; especially when it was later suggested that he appear alongside his comedic impressionist to improve his public image. People rated Comedy Dale more than Real Dale.

Unlike Helen, who had the self-belief to be able to brush off her parody as just silliness and not a true reflection of who she was, Dale did not have the self-belief to be ‘in’ on the joke. As someone who was already struggling with feeling as though who he was was never enough to be accepted by society, to see a comedian tear into his attempts of putting his best version of himself out there must have stung dreadfully. To see his coworkers laughing and not realising how much he was falling apart, it must have been agonising.

Having a laugh and playfully jabbing at others can be a lot of fun, but efforts must be made to check if they’re truly in on the joke too. You never know what people are going through, and that’s why we should always strive to be as mindful and respectful of our fellow humans as possible.