Can you recognise these famous USG faces?
The Upper Spencer Gulf has produced some of SA’s most endearing talents and notable alumni. See if you recognised some of the region’s finest exports.
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It’s often surprising when you realise a famous face grew up in a town just like yours, with the Upper Spencer Gulf providing a stomping ground for a wide range of established celebrity talent.
Prolific sports stars most likely have the best representation on a national scale are from the area, with good showings from politics, reality TV and the media.
Here’s our collection of notable USG talent that have made waves across the years.
Mark Bickley (Port Pirie) – Former AFL player, TV and radio presenter
Crows legend Mark Bickley is arguably the greatest sporting export of Port Pirie, a town with strong affinity for all things sports.
Bickley captained the Crows to their 1997 and 1998 premierships – the club’s only flags to date. Bickley began his football life with Port Pirie club Solomontown Football Club before moving to South Adelaide, where he played 53 SANFL games in 1989 and 1990.
In 1991 Bickley joined the inaugural Adelaide squad and was a staple of the team line-up until his retirement in 2003.
Bickley captained the club between 1997-2000 and had a brief stint as coach for six games in 2011 after Neil Craig stepped down.
Since hanging up the boots Bickley has performed a variety of television and radio roles, currently hosting the SEN breakfast program on the airwaves.
John Noble (Port Pirie) – Actor
Perhaps best known for his tomato-crushing role as Denethor II in the blockbuster Lord of the Rings trilogy, John Noble is an enduring staple of television, films and the stage, born in Port Pirie.
He has starred in television programs including Elementary, Severance and recently appeared as Billy the Butcher’s father in the adaptation of popular comic series The Boys.
Noble is additionally an accomplished voice actor, having lent his dulcet tones to video games and TV shows including Cowboy Bebop, Batman: Arkham Knight and LA Noire.
Jade and Daniel Joyce (Port Pirie) – The Block contestants
South Australian farmers Jade and Daniel Joyce stepped into the public eye after representing Port Pirie in the 2020 season of popular home-reno program The Block. Despite not winning their season the couple still managed to take away $460k worth of prize money from the show. The Pirie farmers live outside the township with their three children.
Joy Baluch (Port Augusta) – Mayor/Councillor
Former Port Augusta Mayor Joy Baluch AM is among the most revered figures to have come out of the Upper Spencer Gulf.
Having served the Port Augusta community as mayor for 29 years over three terms, a historic feat, Baluch’s impact continues to linger over the region.
The $200m duplication of the Joy Baluch AM bridge named after her is expected to be finished later this year, with Gladstone Square, at the town’s centre also featuring a statue commemorating her life.
Baluch’s passion for Port Au.gusta was famous in local government, often describing the city as “the centre of the universe”
Baluch was responsible for instigating dry zones in Port Augusta, a move that drew national criticism at the time but subsequently became common practice around Australia.
Dr Sean Williams (Whyalla) – Writer/lecturer
Whyalla-born science fiction author Sean William was the first author to have a video game adaptation novel debut at #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list.
He has also been nominated for the Philip K Dick Award and long-listed for the 2016 Australian Writers’ Guild Prime Time award.
Williams has written 60 novels and more than 120 short stories over the course of his celebrated career.
His novelisation of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed made history in 2008 by becoming the first literary video game adaptation to debut at top spot on the NYT Best Sellers list.
Sean currently teaches creative writing at Flinders University.
Connor Rozee (Port Augusta) – AFL player
One of several key pick-ups from 2018 as part of a much-hyped Port Adelaide trio alongside Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma, Connor Rozee has managed to cement his position within the club after earning a best and fairest nod in 2022.
Rozee was born and raised in Port Augusta, playing for South Augusta Football Club and North Adelaide until being drafted at 18 years old with Port’s pick #5.
He was also selected as part of the All Australian squad for the first time and picked up the Showdown medal after dominating in the midfield against the Crows.
Edwina Bartholomew (Whyalla) – Journalist
The Upper Spencer Gulf has a rich history of cultivating many of the state’s most popular journalistic exports including Whyalla-born Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew.
In March 2021 Bartholomew became the show’s news reporter following the promotion of co-star Samantha Armytage to co-host, with Bartholomew first hosting the show in 2015.
After hosting Dancing with the Stars in 2013, Bartholomew won a competition to present on Sunrise and hasn’t looked back since.
Carl Veart (Whyalla) – Adelaide United manager
Adelaide United’s current manager, Carl Veart, is another famous Whyalla export, having coached the team since 2020. Veart previously played for Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and Millwall during his playing career. Veart also famously scored the first goal in the A-League against the Newcastle Jets in a 1-0 victory.
Sal Caputo/Lyn Ellbourn (Port Pirie) – My Kitchen Rules
Popular Port Pirie hairdresser, Sal Caputo, garnered plenty of fans when he appeared on Seven’s reality cooking program My Kitchen Rules in 2019.
Sal teamed up with friend Lyn Ellbourn in the competition, billed as “Fabulous Friends”, riding the reality TV wave into the top ten before being eliminated.
Sal continued working as a hairdresser in Port Pirie following his appearance on the program.
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