Happy Birthday New Zealand Television

We could let the day go by without a few whistles and balloons for the birthday of Television ni New Zealand. 50 years is longer than I have been around and there are bits of history from those days that I don't remember (I must be one of the only people in New Zealand who cannot remember the televised moon landing). But there are plenty I can.

• Hiding behind the sofa when the open music came on for Doctor Who. I'm not sure if it was the music or those geometric circles spinning wildly but I didn't like it then (I adore Doctor Who now so times have changed).


• trying to stay up all through the night for those first Telethons. To do this I required a large bar of chocolate, a big bag of chips and a bottle of Coke.


• being one of the first families in our rural area to get a colour Television and having lots of visitors.


• trying to emulate the characters on some of our favourite shows - racing around the paddock on horseback playing Alias Smith & Jones or wrestling on the floor imitating moves from On the Mat.


• the adverts - Dear John, the Anchor butter ads, the buggar dog - we love them and we hate them, but we do remember them


• The High Chapperal, Little House on the Praire, Lost in Space, Follyfoot, The Tomorrow People, Babylon 5, and so many other programmes.


• late nights watching rugby tests and refusing to take phone calls when netball games are on (especially if they go into extra time).

If you want to relive some of your favourite moments there are a couple of things you can do:

1. Head to this TVNZ website to reminisce and watch snippets of some of your favourite shows (or check them out for the first time if you have never seen them before)


2. Head into your local Rodney Library and check out our enormous collection of DVD's of television programmes and documentaries. Find Television adaptations, Television comedies, New Zealand Television, or documentaries to start. We have some fantastic old shows and some of the new ones as well.


3. Read about some of your favourite shows with books from Rodney Libraries.

Happy Birthday television. Thanks for fifty years of information and entertainment.