Kevin Crease | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1936-05-08)8 May 1936[citation needed] |
| Died | 12 April 2007(2007-04-12) (aged 70) |
| Occupation | Television presenter |
| Years active | 1957−2006 |
| Children | 4 |
Kevin John Crease (8 May 1936 – 12 April 2007) was aSouth Australiantelevision presenter andnews presenter. He was most noted for presentingSouth Australian edition of theNine Network'sNational Nine News withRob Kelvin between 1987 and 2007.
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Born inNorth Adelaide and raised in the working class seaside suburb ofSemaphore, Crease was the eldest of four children. He was a prodigious public speaker from a young age and won the Year 7 senior school debating championship.
He started his working life as a clerical worker in 1952 withShell before becoming a copy boy and later cadet at Adelaide'sThe News newspaper, where he quickly "fell foul of the chief-of-staff" and was sacked. Crease completed hisnational service, but resigned from the army following an incident where he used an armoured car to attend a party with his girlfriend.
Crease started his radio career at radio station5DN in 1957 after being noticed as a spruiker selling plastic raincoats in Adelaide's city streets. On 17 July 1959, Channel 9 began its first broadcast in Adelaide. Crease was chosen to compere the station's first program –Clarkson's TV Hostess Quest. During the 1960s, he worked on a variety of different projects, from reading commercials and news, to performing onAdelaide Tonight ascompere from 1962 to 1975. In the early 1970s, he hosted the news programNews Beat.
From 1975 to 1977, Crease was thenPremier of South AustraliaDon Dunstan's press secretary before returning to television. He went on to present news forADS-7. 1983 saw the release of his children's bookSam and the Dreamtime, which was set in his home city of Adelaide and included illustrations by John Draper and photographs by Crease. He returned to Channel 9 in April 1987 as presenter forNational Nine News withRob Kelvin. Together, the pair would enjoy considerable ratings success, takingNine News Adelaide to the top of the ratings in the 1990s.[1]
On 9 February 2007, co-hostRob Kelvin announced that Crease was going through a serious health issue and was taking extended leave from presenting. It was revealed on 17 March 2007 onNational Nine News that he was suffering from a 'serious form of cancer'. TheSunday Mail reported the following day that Crease would be retiring from television broadcasting.[2]
Crease died on 12 April 2007, aged 70 at theQueen Elizabeth Hospital.[3]
Following his death, Crease was posthumously inducted into theSouth Australian Media Hall of Fame. The award was accepted by his son,Tom Crease, at the awards ceremony held 28 April 2007, at the Adelaide Festival Centre.[4] Later that week NWS-9 airedFarewell Creasey which was the top rating program in Adelaide for the week.
He had three children with his first wife Josie.He was also the father with his second wife Cathy ofFrenzal Rhomb bassist Tom Crease.[citation needed]
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rob Kelvinwith Caroline Ainsle | Nine News Adelaide Weeknight presenter withRob Kelvin 1987–2007 | Succeeded by Rob KelvinwithKelly Nestor |