The first woman to appear on television in Melbourne has died at the age of 92
Mary Parker, pioneer of Australian television, has died at the age of 92.
Parker was the first woman to appear on TV in Melbourne in 1956 when she began her pioneering role as an anchor for Channel HSV-7, Melbourne’s first TV station.
It came at a time when women were seen as “not talented enough” to be news anchors.
Parker then hosted the station’s bulletins with co-hosts Eric Pearce and Danny Webb and spearheaded Seven’s TV coverage of the Melbourne Olympics.
At the time, Parker’s high-profile role propelled Australia to the forefront of TV news presentation. The British BBC did not introduce a national newsreader until 1960.
Mary Parker, pioneer of Australian television, has died at the age of 92
In a rack Unpleasant TV tonightParker’s family announced that the beloved TV legend passed away in hospital last weekend after a short illness.
Parker was born in the United Kingdom in 1930 and started acting at the age of 21.
She worked in British TV and feature films, starring alongside Hollywood legends Boris Karloff, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr, and the Lloyd Bridges.
Parker came to Australia as a child and returned once her career was established in England.
Parker was the first woman to appear on TV in Melbourne in 1956 when she began her pioneering role as an anchor for Channel HSV-7, Melbourne’s first TV station
She hosted popular TV shows including Beauty is My Business, Eric and Mary and Guest of the Week.
Known as the ‘British Debbie Reynolds’, Parker also appeared on the Australian soap opera Blue Heelers when she was in her seventies.
In 1957, Parker married Paul Fitzgerald, an artist known for his portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, Pope John XXIII, and Gone With the Wind star Vivien Leigh.
The couple shared seven children and Paul passed away in 2017 at the age of 94.