Denis Gibbons

Born: 1932 Denis Gibbons grew up in a small pub at Port Elliot in South Australia, and was taught by the Sisters of Mercy at Victor Harbour and the Christian Brothers at Rostrevor College in Adelaide. He had many jobs before going into radio in 1951. He spent 20 years with the Macquarie Broadcasting Network and in 1982 he received an Advance Australia Award, for ‘his outstanding contribution to Australian Folk Music’. He has three children and five grandchildren. Denis was captivated by Australian folk music since he heard songs from the late Dr Percy Jones collection in 1952. Within a few months he had his own program on 3SR Shepparton and two years later made the first recording. In the early days of TV he had a regular spot before the news on Channel nine. sang on Bert Newton's Late Show and appeared with Irish tenor Patrick O'Hagen on ABC TV.