Legendary Nine News anchor Brian Henderson was last night honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Kennedy Awards.
At the eighth annual awards gala dinner at Randwick Racecourse, Henderson, 87, was presented the award by Nine News Sydney presenter Peter Overton and The Daily Telegraph editor Ben English.
Henderson accepted the award with his trademark humility.
“I am honoured and I am flattered, after 47 years in a job that I love doing and which gave me so much, to be acknowledged in this way tops it all off. The way it is, Friday the 9th of August, this is Brian Henderson, good night,”
Henderson, who retired from Nine in 2002 after an esteemed 47-year career across Nine News and Bandstand, joins an esteemed group including Jana Wendt and Ita Buttrose who have been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kennedy Foundation.
The Kennedy Awards are named after veteran police reporter Les Kennedy, who died in 2011 at the age of 53.
It was a strong night for Nine across its Television and Publishing divisions with 11 awards won.
Darren Wick, Nine National Director of News & Current Affairs said:
“Brian Henderson is the face of Nine News that generations of Australians trusted and relied upon every weeknight to tell them the news without fear or favour. But it’s his heart, soul and integrity that, to this day, set the tone for Nine.
He is a perfectionist who values accuracy above all else and always put the needs of our viewers first. His warmth and honesty guided us during some of the most testing times,”
“It’s an honour to see Brian Henderson recognised with this Lifetime Achievement Award. Everyone at Nine continues to strive daily to meet the highest of standards that he set.”
7NEWS won two NRMA Kennedy Awards for its outstanding news and public affairs coverage.
The achievements were celebrated last night at the eighth annual gala event at Royal Randwick, hosted by 7NEWS anchor Michael Usher.
7NEWS Europe Bureau cameraman James Cannon was awarded the Gary Ticehurst Award for Outstanding TV News Camera Coverage for his camera work covering the Paris riots in December last year.
James ‘Jimmy’ Cannon and Europe Bureau Chief Hugh Whitfeld were on the Champs‐Elysees as a new generation of disgruntled workers and students protested. At various points James and Hugh were pitted between the angry mobs and the heavily‐armed police trying to regain control of the streets. Wearing a gas mask and other protective clothing, Hugh and James were caught in a choking tear gas incident as officers battled to split the hundreds of thousands of people.
The 7NEWS investigative team behind the successful series The Lady Vanishes, journalist Bryan Seymour, executive producer Alison Sandy, producer and writer Sally Eeles and cameraman Paul Walker were acknowledged for Outstanding Online Video for The Lady Vanishes: Missing woman Marion Barter’s final steps retraced featured on Seven’s brand-new website 7NEWS.com.au. The video followed Sally Leydon, the daughter of missing Australian mother Marion Barter, as she travelled to England to retrace her mother’s final steps, in the hopes of unearthing a clue to her whereabouts.
Sydney’s 7NEWS Director, Jason Morrison, said:
“It’s great seeing our cameramen once again dominating their profession and awarded for their quality and courage – and it’s always good to see Bryan and Alison’s passion and hard work being acknowledged.”
2019 NRMA Kennedy Awards Winner
1 Les Kennedy Award – Outstanding Crime Reporting
Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Lesley Robinson and Suzanne Dredge (Four Corners, ABC Investigations);
2 The Paul Lockyer Award – Outstanding Regional Broadcast Reporting (sponsor Vodafone)
ABC Television News Team
3 The Chris Watson Award
Outstanding Regional Newspaper Reporting (sponsor The Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas)
Joanne McCarthy (The Newcastle Herald)
4 The Rod Allen Award
Racing Writer of the Year (sponsor the Australian Turf Club)
Chris Roots (Sydney Morning Herald)
5 Outstanding Turf Reporting (sponsor Racing NSW)
Ray Thomas (The Daily Telegraph)
6 Sean Flannery Award
Outstanding Radio Journalism
Osman Faruqi, Alex Mann (ABC Background Briefing)
7 Outstanding Podcast
Greg Bearup, Eric George, Nicholas Adams-Dzierzba (“Who the Hell is Hamish” The Australian)
8 Outstanding News Photo (sponsor Salty Dingo)
Stephen Cook (Diimex)
9 Outstanding Portrait (sponsor Salty Dingo)
Phil Hillyard (The Daily Telegraph)
10 Outstanding Sports Photo (sponsor Salty Dingo)
Simon Bullard (AAP)
11 Outstanding Online Video (sponsor Salty Dingo)
“The Lady Vanishes” – Bryan Seymour, Alison Sandy, Sally Eeles, Paul Walker (7 news.com.au)
12 Power of the Lens
The People’s Choice Award (sponsor Salty Dingo)
Nick Moir(Sydney Morning Herald)
13 Vince O’Farrell Award
Outstanding Illustration (sponsor Stabilo) –
Jon Kudelka (The Australian)
14 The Cliff Neville Award
Outstanding Team Player (sponsor Watpac)
Ian Fuge (The Sydney Morning Herald)
15 Outstanding Sport Reporting (sponsor Hillbrick Bicycles)
Jamie Pandaram (The Daily Telegraph)
16 Young Journalist of the Year (sponsor Tata Consultancy Services)
Angela McCormack (Triple J Hack)
17 Outstanding Travel Writing (sponsor RM Global Asia Pacific)
Catherine Marshall (Sydney Morning Herald)
18 Lifetime Achievement Award
Brian Henderson
19 John Newfong Award
Outstanding Indigenous Affairs Reporting (sponsor University of Technology Sydney UTS)
Lorena Allam (The Guardian Australia)
20 Gary Ticehurst Award
Outstanding TV News Camera Coverage (sponsor Nine News)
James Cannon (7 News)
21 Harry Potter Award
Outstanding Television News Reporting (sponsor 10 News First)
Hannah Sinclair (Nine News)
22 Outstanding Television Current Affairs Reporting Long Form (sponsor A Current Affair)
Anne Connolly, Mary Fallon, Patricia Drum (Four Corners ABC-TV)
23 The Mike Willesee Award
Outstanding Nightly Current Affairs (sponsor Nine News)
Adele Ferguson, Chris Gillett (7.30 ABC-TV)
24 The Peter Ruehl Award
Outstanding Columnist
Sharri Markson (The Daily Telegraph)
25 Outstanding Finance Reporting (sponsor Castle Rock Global Capital)
Jonathan Shapiro, Angus Grigg, Lisa Murray (The Australian Financial Review)
26 Outstanding Consumer Affairs Reporting (sponsor Godfrey Wines)
Liam Bartlett, Joel Tozer (60 Minutes, Nine)
27 Outstanding Online News Breaking (sponsor Google)
John Lyons, Lorna Knowles, Elise Worthington, Clare Blumer (ABC News)
28 Outstanding Court Reporting (sponsor Artline)
Sam Rigney (The Newcastle Herald)
29 Outstanding Reporting on the Environment
Jack Morphet (The Sunday Telegraph)
30 Rebecca Wilson Award
Scoop of the Year (sponsor Twitter)
Danny Weidler (Nine News)
31 Outstanding Investigative Reporting
Peter Charley (Al Jazeera)
32 The Jim Oram Award
Outstanding Feature Writing (sponsor Sydney Morning Herald)
Amanda Hooton (The Good Weekend);
33 Outstanding Foreign Correspondent (sponsor AGL)
James Massola (The Sydney Morning Herald);
34 Outstanding Political Reporting (sponsor Sky News Australia)
Sky News Australia;
35 Journalist of the Year
Anne Connolly (ABC Investigations)
