Since 1984 there have been 28 people and four television shows inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame, until last night, only one of those was a woman.
This is not something that’s gone unnoticed in the Mamamia office, in fact, this time last year we wrote a list of women in the Australian television industry we believed were worthy of the accolade.
At the top of the list was Noni Hazlehurst.
Many of us grew up with Hazlehurst on Play School and, at 62, she has been in the industry for 43 years.
<3 <3 <3 (via ABC)
Her on-screen contribution has been immense, not only as a children's entertainer, and last night, she received the recognition she deserved when she was finally inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame, the second woman ever.
"The fact that I'm only the second woman to be given this honour is merely a reflection of the prevailing zeitgeist," she said in her acceptance speech, one of the stand outs from the evening's ceremony.
"As is the odious suggestion in some quarters that the eligibility of our esteemed colleagues Waleed Aly and Lee Lin Chin to be considered for the Gold is questionable.
"But things are clearly changing -- here we are -- but they’re changing glacially slowly. The great things about glaciers though is if you’re not on them, you go under. I’ve been riding that glacier for 40 years and I’m staying on top of it."
Her Play School audience were not forgotten either, as she called for a "safe haven" for kids "in an increasingly complex media landscape and world" where they're constantly bombarded with bad news and violent imagery.
"I started to see a world through the preschoolers' eyes to see how free and unafraid they are to just be. They haven't yet been conditioned.
"But also how easily frightened and overwhelmed they are. How easily abused, and particularly how empathetic they are. No child is born a bigot."
Hazlehurst expressed empathy for those struggling with anxiety and depression, including "too many of our kids".
"We're all living under a heavy and constant cloud of negativity," she said.
"So here is my pitch: I'd love a channel that features nothing but stories that inspire us and reassure us and our children that there are good things happening and good people in the world.
"I know it's a lot to ask for. But at the very least, a show that tries to redress this overwhelming imbalance, that counters bad news with good, that encourages optimism not pessimism, that restores our empathy and love for our fellow human beings and the Earth, that redefines reality, that heals our hearts."
She added, "And by the way — I'm available."
Give that wonderful woman a channel!
Didn't watch the Logies? We have all the winners here, and all the red carpet frocks for you just here:
