A young Eric Pearce

Sir Eric Pearce, OBE (born March 5, 1905 in England, died April 12, 1997 in Melbourne) was a broadcaster and television pioneer in Australia. OBE can mean several things, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, distinction of honour. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Melbournes Yarra River is popular area for walking, jogging, cycling and relaxing on the banks with a picnic Melbourne (pronounced either or [1]) is the second most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of approximately 3. ...

Pearce started his career in England and worked for the BBC before moving to Australia. This led to him working at numerous radio stations in the pre-television era, both as an on-air performer and station management. The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ...

When television came to Australia in 1956, many radio figures sought and achieved employment in the new medium. Sir Eric was no exception, moving to HSV Channel 7 in Melbourne working as newsreader and quiz show host. He felt news readers 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. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... HSV-7, commonly known as Seven Melbourne, is a television station in Melbourne, Australia. ... GTV-9 is the Melbourne, Australia station in the Nine television network and was one of the first two commercial TV stations in Melbourne. ...

For years he read the news to Melbournians with a catchphrase sign-off "God bless you, and you," the second "you" being directed at his wife. He is best regarded for his coverage of the Moon landing in 1969. The first moon landing by a human was that of American Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission, accompanied by Buzz Aldrin. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

He was a patron for the Deaf Blind Association and an elderly person's home was named after his support.

Made a knight bachelor in 1979 for his services to television in the Commonwealth of Australia, he died on April 12, 1997, still working for GTV Channel 9 as a news advisor and head of correspondence. This page refers to the year 1979. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Successors

• Brian Naylor: 1978-1998
• Peter Hitchener: 1998-Present

Peter Hitchener (born February, 1946) is an Australian television presenter. ...

See also

• GTV-9
• Nine Network Australia
• National Nine News
• Melbourne