TV history up for grabs

A CHURCH hall where Australia's first television show was broadcast will be auctioned this month.

Church

A CHURCH hall in Sydney where Australia's first television show was broadcast will be auctioned this month.

St David's Hall is part-owned by Industrie Clothing CEOs Nick and Susie Kelly. The fashionable couple made headlines recently over a property dispute with Aussie actor Toni Collette, the Wentworth Courier reports.

The Kellys are now selling the Victorian Gothic-style church hall at 17 Arthur St, Surry Hills, that they bought for $2.53 million with another investor in December 2011.

The hall was one of two sites where Channel 9s first television broadcast took place on Sunday, September 16, 1956.

"The hall played a significant role in the history of Australian media,'' said Brendan Horgan, a former media historian with the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra.

"Sir Frank Packer left instructions that Channel 9 had to be the first station in Australia to air but the Willoughby premises were still under construction so they created a makeshift studio at St David's.

"On opening night there was a production glitch and at the last minute Bruce Gyngell, who was in a dinner suit on his way to a party at Sir Frank's, was told to get to Willoughby and in a small edit room in the basement he said those now famous words, "Welcome to television''.

"They then cut back to St David's where the opening night extravaganza took place and it was broadcast from microwave links on top to of the hall back to Willoughby.''

The church hall, on 415sq m, is currently vacant and will go to auction on Saturday, September 22 with an early to mid $2 million price guide.

"The church hall certainly has broad appeal,'' said McGrath agent Ben Collier. "It's rare that a church hall comes up for sale - especially one with such a significant history.

"So far there's been a lot of interest from commercial buyers but also from residential buyers who want to do a warehouse-style conversion and turn it into a private residence.''

The property has dual street frontages, soaring cathedral ceilings, the original timber floorboards, stained glass windows and is situated in one of the best residential parts of Surry Hills.