Penny Spence, a trailblazer of Australian television and one of the nation’s first female newsreaders, died earlier this month, aged 83.
Spence rose to prominence in the late ’60s as one of the first women to read television news on Channel Nine in Australia.
She presented the afternoon bulletin for Channel Nine in New South Wales, while the legendary Brian Henderson anchored the evening edition.
Her death was confirmed in a social media statement by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
‘We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Penny Spence, a trailblazer in Australian television,’ the statement read.
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Penny Spence, a trailblazer of Australian television and one of the nation’s first female newsreaders, died earlier this month aged 83
‘Spence was part of a pioneering group of women who were the first women to read television news in Australia.’
Before her groundbreaking role in news, Spence fronted a women’s current affairs program on TCN9 – Channel Nine’s broadcasting station – had presented the weather and became a familiar face to viewers across NSW.
She was honoured with a Logie Award for Most Popular Female Personality in NSW in 1969.
Following her on-screen success, Spence became a major creative force behind the scenes, heading children’s programming at the Nine Network.
She later took her talents to an international stage, serving as executive producer of the European Broadcasting Union’s children’s unit, and helmed the popular 1985 Ray Meagher mini-series Colour in the Creek.
Fans took to social media to pay tribute to Spence.
‘I remember Penny as one of the best executives involved in children’s television in the 1980s. Vale,’ one person wrote.
‘Very sad to hear this,’ a second added.
Spence rose to prominence in the late ’60s as one of the first women to read television news on Channel Nine in Australia
She was the first wife of legendary Channel Nine musical director Geoff Harvey, who died in 2019, and had two daughters with him
Her legacy lives on through a body of acclaimed work archived by the NFSA.
This includes the movies The Water Trolley (1988), which received an International Emmy nomination, as well as Shipmates (1987), Sovereign Hill (1990), and Hinkler: The Aviator (1990).
Spence also sat for a 1999 oral history interview with the NFSA, reflecting on her groundbreaking role at TCN9 during a formative era of Australian broadcasting.
She was the first wife of legendary Channel Nine musical director Geoff Harvey, who died in 2019, and had two daughters with him: Eugenie and Charlotte.
Her contributions helped shape Australian television for generations, and her passing marks the end of an era.
