Veteran Pete Smith is calling on the city council to move a landmark plaque in Graham Kennedy’s childhood home.
EXCLUSIVE:
A council wants to move a heritage plaque paying tribute to Graham Kennedy after his own Tonight in Melbourne castmate Pete Smith called for the TV legend’s legacy to be preserved.
In 2019, the City of Port Phillip placed a plaque at 32 Nelson Street Balaclava in honor of the childhood home of the King of Television.
The St Kilda area was dotted with boarding houses in the 1940s and 1950s, attracting a mix of people from newly arrived immigrants to actors and entertainers. Kennedy was raised there by his grandmother.
But the plaque has been hidden on the fence by a local real estate agent in recent years and is no longer easily visible.
TV veteran and icon Pete Smith recently called on the council to move the plaque so it is visible to the public.
“He lived here in the 1950s with Grandma Scott and he even lived here when he started his illustrious career at Channel Nine in Melbourne,” he said. Television tonight.
“And you know, his legacy – not just the house – but his legacy needs to be preserved,” he added before peering over the fence to view the plaque.
Port Philip Council Mayor Louise Crawford said in a statement: “We agree that the fence obscures the plaque commemorating the childhood home of this Australian television legend.
“A city official has contacted a third party… who will pass our request on to the owner to allow us to move the plaque, perhaps to an exterior wall, to make it more visible.
“It currently sits on a small plinth on the ground behind the fence.”
Television tonight will keep you informed when a happy outcome has been achieved.
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