Living History

Contribution -Bob

ABC TV at Gore Hill is a historical website that celebrates the very early days of television, created by Bob Sitsky and Colin McPherson, who worked at Gore Hill in the 1950s as young trainees. The period covered by this website was very significant in the development of ABC Television. In those early pioneering days at Gore Hill there was a remarkable spirit of co-operation between all the staff to get the best results from a new medium. Staff were totally committed to their work and to ABC television – everyone was keen to ensure that the product that went ‘on-air’ was the best that could be achieved.

Here is an extract:
The first ABC intake of Technicians-in-Training (known as the TITs) at ABN Channel 2, Gore Hill occurred in the beginning of 1958. Regular yearly recruitment then followed. The T.I.T. course was four years in duration. At the conclusion of the course the Trainees were promoted into Technician positions.

The intake of 1958 was divided into two small groups. As one group attended classes at North Sydney Technical College the other group worked on the station. However, this was the only year such an arrangement was implemented - from 1959 the whole group either went to College or worked on the station.

The syllabus at the Technical College during the early years included Circuit Theory, Electronics, Laboratory and Workshop Practice.

In those days 'technicians' performed a broad range of work from installation, maintenance to operational functions such as vision mixing and camera. Therefore the areas that Trainees were allocated to covered a variety of functions that included Cable Duties in Studio 21, assisting with the setting up of Outside Broadcasts, general installation work, Telerecord Film Processing and Engineering Workshop.

North Sydney Tech College teachers during 1958 and 1959 included Stan Graves, Bob Green, Milton Moore.

The photograph of some of the graduating 1958 and 1959 intakes of Technician-in-Training was taken at their Technician Certificate Presentation Evening at the Kings Cross Studio in about November 1962.

Their Certificates were presented by Vern Kenna the Controller of Technical Services and the Presentation Evening was coordinated by John Watson, the Supervising Technician responsible for the trainees selection and training. Also in attendance were representatives of the North Sydney Technical College, Gore Hill and family and friends of the trainees.

Bob Sitsky

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