The 89-year-old appeared on Play School in Australia and the UK and rubbed shoulders with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones – but it is his work with children that has been ‘an honour’
In the late 1960s, when television was an exciting and reliably star-making medium, there was one show everyone wanted to be on: Play School. The ABC staple aired twice a day every weekday, making it a huge platform for any presenter. So when Don Spencer was offered a spot on the children’s program in 1968, everything changed.
“I couldn’t go anywhere without being recognised,” the now 89-year-old recalls. “I couldn’t walk into a shop. I couldn’t get on to an airplane. I went to a rugby union [game] and half the crowd turned around and sang one of my songs to me. It’s ridiculous. But it just kept going, so I just kept going with it.”