Entertainment report Peter Ford has shared a touching story about entertainer Bert Newton, a tale he promised Newton he’d keep a secret until after his death.
Newton, whose career spanned Australian television over many decades, passed away this week aged 83. Speaking of Newton’s charity work and behind the scenes generosity, Ford shared a tale that he’d had to sit on for decades.
Ford revealed that back in the 1990’s a close friend was in a Melbourne hospital dying of an AIDS related illness. He wrote to several celebrities and asked them if they could send messages of support to his friend.
“I sent out cards to various celebrities and said ‘Would you mind signing this and sending this back to my friend.”
Most of the big names he approached sent through some words of encouragement, sending back the signed cards – but there was nothing from Bert Newton.
Instead the TV legend visited all the patients at the Fairfield Infections Diseases Hospital, taking time to hang out with every patient on the AIDS ward, sharing stories and chatting to them.
Ford found his friend, who had only days left to live, in buoyant spirits. He was so excited that Bert Newton had come and hung out with him – and left him one of his Gold Logies!
“I rang Bert and I said, ‘I can’t believe you did that’ and he said, ‘OK, I’ve probably broken some kind of Logie law and they’re going to come after me for giving away one of my Logies so don’t tell the story until I’m gone’,” Ford recounted to radio station 2GB.
“Promise me you won’t report this until I’ve carked it,” Ford said Newton told him.
OIP Staff
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