NEWS DESK
Basking in Bert’s brilliance just part of the job Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au
On the air: Former TV director Ray Punjer has a lifetime of happy memories from working with the great Bert Newton. Picture: Yanni
A ROSEBUD man who spent 50 years in the television industry watched Friday’s state funeral for the legendary Bert Newton with more than a passing interest. The service at St Patrick’s Cathedral was, naturally, televised to a wide audience such was Bert’s popularity and his long-standing role as the quintessential essence of Melbourne. So the depth of feeling expressed by those who loved Bert didn’t surprise Ray Punjer one bit … Starting at Channel 9 in the late 1950s, Mr Punjer directed Bert on many of his most popular shows and counts himself as one of the great man’s closest mates and confidants – often spending hours chatting and “having a quiet one” at Bert’s backstage bar where Abbot’s Lager was the drink of choice. Their friendship began during Bert’s early days as a booth announcer, and blossomed as his star climbed into the 1960s on IMT with Graham Kennedy, The Don Lane Show and New Faces, which had a decade-long run. Punjer also directed Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Deal or No Deal and contributed to Bert’s morning radio shows where he was introduced as “Tout” the tipster. Fond recollections include joining in Bert’s impromptu dressing room quizzes, giving him a “Groucho” Marx lamp from Las Vegas which Bert proudly placed on his bar, arranging
days before “retiring” in 2005-06. His love of the industry encouraged him to continue working alongside the Working Dog crew’s Rob Sitch and Glenn Robbins, who no doubt benefited from his industry knowledge and experience. However, for Mr Punjer, nothing could have compared with the great days of Melbourne television and working alongside its royalty. At the top was Bert … “He was a top man who treated people very well,” Mr Punjer said. “We had a great relationship and there will never be anyone else like him. “I treasure those days and am very sad to see him go.” And so say all of us …
for a budgerigar to fly from Bert’s finger up to his precious hairpiece, and having the art department airbrush his own face over Bert’s face on a photo with TV star Bob Hope. “Old Moonface” was not amused … Peppering his recollections are stories about practical jokes, fun on air, Bert’s generous nature and ability to be “one of the boys” despite his star status. He was vulnerable, too, despite his fame, and sometimes needed encouragement and consolation, such are the pressures of being a household name. All up Mr Punjer reckons he’s been involved in the making of 26,000 TV shows with Channels 9 and 7 and been a part of the industry from its early
Tests show COVID not going away Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au ROSEBUD Respiratory Clinic has detected an average of 60 positive cases of COVID-19 per week recently and 54 cases last week. The figures show the virus is still running riot on the Mornington Peninsula, as the bulk of the testing in the region is done at the Rosebud and Frankston hospitals and at state government-run pop-up clinics. Schools have been hard-hit, too, with outbreaks at Red Hill, Boneo, Rosebud, and Mount Martha primary schools, St Mary’s Hastings, and Peninsula Grammar.
Dr Sally Shaw said Rosebud Respiratory Clinic offered free Rapid Antigen testing, with results sent to the patient via SMS within 15 minutes. “This is important for people concerned they have inadvertently picked up the virus and are worried about their vulnerable loved ones,” she said. The more-common PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) high nasal swab test detects the viral DNA and is much more accurate than the RAT, Dr Shaw said. “Because it is actually picking up the DNA it is always accurate, whereas the Rapid Antigen Test picks up a protein on the virus. Because it needs a significant viral load it can be negative
at the start of the illness, and at the end of the illness where the patient is not shedding a lot of virus. “People who are double vaxxed will not shed as much virus so it is important for them to wait for the PCR results which we are turning around in 24 hours.” Rosebud Respiratory Clinic uses a medical grade Rapid Antigen test with a high sensitivity and specificity that is not available to the public, Dr Shaw said. “In a clinical setting, we can be accurate in performing the buffer solution and timing testing, and are able to ensure that the test is done correctly. “Without these measures in place the failure rate of the public RAT test
is higher than stated by the manufacturer. Also, the low nasal swab is not uncomfortable.” Dr Shaw said her practice conducted the only clinical comparison of Rapid Antigen testing with PCR. “In our two-week study we saw 3783 patients of which we received 70 positive RATS results but also 12 results which were false negatives.” Dr Shaw said Rosebud Respiratory Clinic did about 15 per cent of the COVID-19 testing on the Mornington Peninsula. The clinic, at 1391 Point Nepean Road, Rosebud, is open weekdays 9am-7pm and weekends 9am-5pm. Call 0436 033 507.
Testing times: Dr Sally Shaw conducts a COVID-19 test at Rosebud Respiratory Clinic. Picture: Yanni
• INDOOR/OUTDOOR FURNITURE • HOMEWARES • GIFTWARE • TABLES • CHAIRS • LOUNGES • CUSHIONS • BAR TABLES AND STOOLS • SUN LOUNGES • MARKET UMBRELLAS • MASSIVE RANGE OF RATTAN • LAMPS • JEWELLERY • ARTWORKS AND MUCH, MUCH MORE
OPEN 7 DAYS
NE W CO NTA IN E R S ARRI VI NG REGUL ARLY!!!
2/1 COLCHESTER ROAD, ROSEBUD
5986 6778
Southern Peninsula News
17 November 2021
PAGE 3