Ol’Moonface, as he was affectionately named, ruled the radio waves of Melbourne in the 1950s before making the transition to our TV screens. Alongside Graham Kennedy and then Don Lane, Bert was the pre-eminent entertainer. Australians loved him, and when he married Patti McGrath, the police had to be called to hold the crowds back.
Over the years, he quipped along with the best: Olivia Newton-John, Muhammad Ali, John Wayne, Sammy Davis Jr and Robin Williams, to name a few. But behind his most public of faces is the story of a boy whose father died early and a young man whose compulsion to work led him to push himself to collapse. But, for Bert, the show always went on. Riding the highs and the lows of the fickle television industry, he reinvigorated his career over and over as the world around him changed - from black-and-white to colour and beyond - to become one of our most enduring stars. Bert held the respect and admiration of his peers and fans alike. That respect and admiration lasted until the day he died, with his beloved Patti still by his side.
