This article, written by 60 Minutes Executive Producer Kirsty Thomson, was first published in 2018 to mark 40 years of the show. We have republished it today after George Negus, one of the founding presenters, died at the age of 82.
‘Hey George, where ya been?’
When he got a rare break from his globe-trotting job George Negus would have hoped that he might be afforded some quiet anonymity in his Sydney home suburb of Balmain.
No such luck. There was no escaping the noisy bunch of local kids happy and excited to see their idol in the flesh.
In fact, after interrupting his shopping trip to ask which remote part of the world he had just returned from, this group of smart-arsed teenagers would follow George up the street noisily imitating the ticking clock that signified the start of every episode of the program in which he starred – 60 Minutes.
I was one of those kids who used to ‘tick, tick, tick’ behind George. In the 1980s, long before the internet, he and Ian, Ray and Jana were my window to the world.
They were incredibly brave reporters who, every Sunday night, took my family and I from our living room to somewhere we had never been to tell us something we had never heard before.
On the school bus on Monday morning the latest 60 Minutes stories were excitedly discussed and dissected.
The program sowed the seeds of adventure on our young minds and the hope we would one day visit the incredible places these trailblazing journalists travelled to.
Back then I never would have imagined that one day I would work at the program that had such a profound impact on me as a young person.
60 Minutes has a special place in the life of all Australians.
Maybe it’s because there aren’t many television programs that have been around for 40 years – by last count, less than six.
It is no exaggeration to say that 60 Minutes is an institution, one that the Australians have turned to and continue to turn to week after week, year after year for one simple reason – the stories.
For 40 years the hardworking reporters, producers, camera crews and editing teams who work at 60 Minutes have devoted themselves to travelling the world telling stories that don’t just entertain, but challenge, move and hopefully make our audience feel something.
In its 40th year, 60 Minutes has continued the incredible work of those who started the clock ticking.
This year alone, the program has produced stories that have had huge impact and led to real change.
From Allison Langdon’s investigation into hazing rituals in Australian University colleges to Tom Steinfort’s interview with a key witness to a 40-year-old murder mystery which led to a breakthrough arrest.
Liz Hayes’ investigation into the founder of the Hillsong Church and the subsequent confirmation of a police investigation into allegations of a Church child abuse cover up.
Liam Bartlett’s expose of the Live Sheep Export trade which led to the main exporter losing his license; and Tara Brown’s award-winning story about the dreadful murder of Queensland schoolgirl Tialeigh Palmer.
Of course there would be no ticking clock every Sunday night were it not for the incredible people who have worked on the show since 1978.
They are the lifeblood of the program, the story tellers who for the last 40 years have given their all, week in and week out to ensure we continue to inform, entertain and inspire for years to come.
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