News of the death of beloved journalist and television presenter Simon Townsend has shocked the Australian entertainment industry.
His death, at age 79, was announced Wednesday through his family, as reported by ABC News.
Simon was best remembered as the creator, host and producer of the iconic 1980s children’s show Simon Townsend’s Wonder World.
The series, which aired on Network Ten from 1979 to 1987, was a true hit of its time, winning five Logie Awards for most popular children’s television series.
Simon’s successful concept had a second run in 1993, when Channel Nine rebooted it as Wonder World. presented by Pascal Fox.
However, Simon lived a pretty interesting life away from the cameras, making headlines after being jailed for protesting the Vietnam War.
News of the death of beloved journalist and television presenter Simon Townsend has shocked the Australian entertainment industry.
Simon was very active in the anti-Vietnam War movement and often appeared at protests wearing a three-piece suit.
He was jailed for a month in Long Bay jail when he refused conscription orders and told the court he was a pacifist.
This time in prison was followed by another 28 days in military prison, where he spent much of the time in solitary confinement, with only bread and water.
Protests for “Free Townsend” quickly took to the streets as his imprisonment made front-page news.
During an appearance on ABC’s Talking Heads in 2005, Simon revealed that his decision to protest the war came almost instantly.
‘I went to the newsagent on my way to work in the morning. “I bought the ‘Australian’ and sat on the bench outside the post office to start reading the paper before I started work,” Simon revealed.
But the front page said that Menzies was sending troops to Vietnam and that they were recruits. And suddenly, almost in an instant, I decided that I would not go.
He added that his vocal protests were driven in part by his ego, adding that his motives did not “diminish his argument.”
Simon was best remembered as the creator, host and producer of the iconic 1980s children’s show, Simon Townsend’s Wonder World. However, he has a pretty interesting life away from the camera, making headlines after being imprisoned for protesting the Vietnam War.
He was jailed for a month in Long Bay prison when he refused conscription orders and told the court he was a pacifist, followed by another 28 days in a military prison.
Protests for “Free Townsend” quickly took to the streets as his imprisonment made front-page news.
“I’ve often been accused of that in court, of that, you know, ‘You’re just a publicity-seeker, selfish, and you like to be a big shot, don’t you, Mr. Townsend?'” he said.
‘It’s partly true. But that doesn’t diminish the argument I was making. That the war was wrong and that conscription for that war was wrong.
Simon admitted that he began to doubt himself when he was sitting alone in his cell, adding that if he had his time again, there would be little he would have changed.
“(I would have changed) nothing,” he said.
‘And of course now, looking back 30, 40 years later, he was right. All of us who opposed the war were right.
His daughter Lisbeth Kennelly shared on ABC Radio Sydney that Townsend “carved some words” into the wall of his cell.
He said: “Wars will cease when men refuse to fight.”
Simon is survived by his three children, Nadia, Michael and Lisbeth Kennelly, as well as his siblings and five grandchildren.
“The front page (of the Australian) said Menzies was sending troops to Vietnam and that they were conscripts. And suddenly, I decided almost in an instant that I wasn’t going,” Simon told ABC in 2005.
“(It would have changed) nothing,” he added. ‘And of course now, looking back 30, 40 years later, he was right. All of us who opposed the war were right.
He was married to his first wife Rosanna, whom he considered his “soulmate”, until her death left him devastated in 2003.
The couple welcomed Nadia and Michael into the world together, and Townsend was later reunited with their third daughter, Lisbeth, in 1991.
Lisbeth was adopted by Townsend and her biological mother while the journalist was imprisoned during the Vietnam War.
Years after Rosanna’s death, Townsend rekindled a romance with a girlfriend from his youth, Kerrie Gleeson, and the couple lived together until her death in 2015.