Rebecca Gibney is the fourth woman in 40 years to be inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame
In 1984 – the same year the Logies Hall of Fame was founded – Rebecca Gibney made her feature film debut in the New Zealand drama Among the Cinders.
Forty years later, the revered actress is now the fourth woman ever inducted into the Logie Awards Hall of Fame.
Sure, Gibney may have been born in New Zealand, but like most of our neighbor’s best exports, we can safely call it our own product.
Gibney has been a familiar face on the Australian screen for nearly four decades, appearing in local classics such as The Flying Doctor, Halifax fp and Stingers.
In 2008, she began directing her own Australian classic, starring as everyman’s mother Julie Rafter in Seven’s long-running family dramedy Packed to the Rafters.
Over the years, Gibney has been nominated for numerous Logie Awards, winning the Most Outstanding Actress award in 1991 and the Most Popular Actress award and the Golden Logie in 2009.
Praise from the family in front of and behind the camera
Gibney’s real family and television family were present during the Logies ceremony to honor the actor’s illustrious career.
First, it was Erik Thomson, who played Gibney’s husband in Packed to the Rafters from 2008 to 2013. He told the story of their first meeting, when he completely botched an audition for Gibney, only to run into her again ten years later during a chemistry test in Rafters.
Gibney’s film husband Erik Thomson beamed as she accepted her Hall of Fame induction. (Getty: James Gourley)
“All the memories of our first meeting came flooding back. Since then, I’ve had a few runs on the board, but I was still a little nervous. The nervousness, however, disappeared the minute I walked into the room,” Thomson said.
“I got the most compassionate and warm hug from Bec. She even lied and told me she couldn’t remember us having met before. A nice white lie.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have found a friend for life and to have shared the screen with tonight’s Hall of Famer for 122 episodes… I love you, my dear friend.”
As moving as Thomson’s words to his make-believe wife were, the show was almost stolen by Gibney’s 16-year-old son, Zac Bell.
“I feel so lucky to have been raised by someone who has so much love to give and to have been guided through life while watching her show so much kindness to everyone she meets,” Bell said.
“I have seen her take on so many challenges and give her best in every role she plays.
“So many people love actress Rebecca Gibney. I will always love her as the kindest, most loving mother anyone could ask for. And tonight, all of us in this room and the industry celebrate her. I love you, mom, to the moon and back.”
Gibney’s 16-year-old son Zac gave an emotional speech before welcoming his mother on stage for her induction into the Hall of Fame. (Getty: Hanna Lassen)
From teenager with “crippling anxiety” to Logies Hall-of-Famer
Overjoyed by the praise from her son and TV husband, Gibney talked about her path to the Logies Hall of Fame.
“If someone had told me, as a 16-year-old suffering from crippling anxiety and severe body dysmorphia, that one day I would be standing on stage with this award, they wouldn’t have believed it,” Gibney said.
“First of all, I would like to thank the Australian audience. Many have grown up with me and supported me since the early days and, like me, they think 1984 was only 20 years ago.”
She shared the wise words she had received over the years.
“One of the most important lessons I learned was on the set of ‘The Flying Doctor’ from the legendary late actor Maurie Fields,” she recalls.
“I asked him one day, ‘What’s the secret to success in this business?’ He said, and I quote, ‘It’s very simple, darling. Just show up on time, know your lines and don’t be stupid.'”
Finally, Gibney discussed the significance of her induction into the Hall.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have been guided and supported along the way by some incredibly visionary women. From my mother to my first agent to the many female producers, directors, fellow actors and crew members who encouraged me behind the scenes.”
“I am very proud to be one of four women ever inducted into the Hall of Fame, but I know there are many more to come.”
Who are the women in the Logies Hall of Fame?
It took 15 years for the Hall of Fame to induct her into the Hall as an actress in 2001.
The screen legend had already taken home three Logies (twice as Most Outstanding Actress and once as Most Popular Comedy Personality) for her work on the cult Australian sitcom “Mother and Son.”
Ruth Cracknell and her colleague Garry McDonald, who is also a member of the Logies Hall of Fame, played the leading roles in the popular sitcom “Mother and Son”. (ABC)
Cracknell’s career spanned more than half a century, and her induction into the Hall of Fame was one of her last public appearances before her death in May 2002.
It would be another 15 years before the Logies welcomed another woman into the Hall of Fame: in 2016, Noni Hazlehurst, the queen of Play School (186 episodes hosted!), was inducted.
The Logies then made the unprecedented decision to induct two women in a row into the Hall of Fame (I can’t think of any major events in 2016 that might have influenced this?), welcoming presenter Kerri-Anne Kennerley into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
Gibney’s induction this week brings the number of women in the Logies Hall of Fame to four in 40 years.
How are inductees into the Logies Hall of Fame selected?
While most Logie Awards have a public voting component, the annual inductees into the Hall of Fame are selected exclusively by “a panel of independent industry experts.”
Each broadcaster can nominate four people or programs for induction into the Hall of Fame.
The jury then evaluates the submissions based on the following criteria:
- Contribution to enriching Australian television culture
- Key achievements
- Previous awards and recognitions
- Continued longevity and relevance
Once the judges have made their selection, it is at the discretion of the Logies whether they wish to announce the winner before the ceremony.
Wait, a program can be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
Yes, a person or program can be nominated and selected for induction into the Hall of Fame. And by the looks of things, there are more programs in the Hall of Fame than female newcomers.
The ABC’s investigative news program Four corners was the first programme introduced in 1992 (nine years before Cracknell).
The other programs in the Hall of Fame are Neighbors (2005), Play school (2006), Home and Away (2015) and 60 minutes (2018).
Okay, so what about the male Hall of Famers?
Subtracting the female (four) and new program entrants (five), minus the two cancelled COVID Logies, you have 30 prominent male personalities from the Australian television industry in the Logies Hall of Fame.
They are as follows:
- Hector Crawford
- Ken G. Hall
- Neil Davis
- Paul Hogan
- Bert Newton
- Bryan Brown
- Johnny Young
- James Davern
- Reg Grundy
- Bud Tingwell
- Michael B.
- Maurie Fields
- Gary McDonald
- Graham Kennedy
- Michael Walsh
- Bruce Gyngell
- Mike Willesee
- Don Lane
- Sam Chisholm
- Steve Irwin
- John Clarke
- Bill Collins
- Brian Naylor
- Laurie Oakes
- Molly Meldrum
- Brian Henderson
- Peter Harvey
- Kerry O’Brien
- Bruce McAvaney
- Brian Walsh
