Keith Bracey. Photo / Natalie Slade.
Keith Bracey
Broadcaster, television personality.
Died aged 94.
The impeccable pronunciation and diction, the trademark goatee and moustache were all the result of early forays into amateur theatricals, the facial hair in particular. Keith Bracey was one of the best-known faces and voices in the early days of New Zealand television.
In 1966 he was the first presenter
of the Auckland edition of Town and Around, New Zealand's inaugural daily current affairs show. Network television was still some years away, so each region had its own version of the show.
The Auckland rendering was a mix of serious pieces and tomfoolery. In one notable instance, Bracey strapped himself into a farm spraying backpack and took it to Albert Park. Here he persuaded onlookers that it was a single-person jump-jet kit that would allow them to hover a metre or so above the ground. Several people were convinced, and spectators were treated to the sight of the gullible running across the park, waving their arms and leaping fruitlessly.
Bracey quickly developed a devoted Town and Around following. One woman wrote to the programme saying she habitually undressed in front of her television set but could no longer do so because she felt Bracey was watching her. A school student once named Bracey as the country's Prime Minister.
The impeccable pronunciation and diction, the trademark goatee and moustache were all the result of early forays into amateur theatricals, the facial hair in particular. Tired of false beards that wouldn't stay on, Bracey grew his own.
After Town and Around Bracey moved on to producing and presenting Police 5, a role he held for 10 years. When he was dropped from the show it was front-page news, with the loudest complaints coming from the police force.
Bracey retired from television that year, and spent his retirement gardening, body surfing and ballroom dancing.
Keith Arthur Bracey was born in Waimamaku in Northland in 1916. He studied marine engineering at Seddon Technical College in Auckland, and during World War II served as a flight engineer with an RNZAF squadron in the Pacific. After the war he settled in Tauranga, joined the local theatre group, and went to work on his vowels and accent to try and remove his "down home Kiwi" accent.
By the mid-1950s the now well-spoken Bracey had talked his way into a job as an announcer with 1ZB in Auckland. He had dabbled in television during a working holiday in Britain, but his big break came with the launch of Town and Around.
Keith Bracey married twice. He is survived by his sons Paul and Wayne and daughter Jeannie.
