In a classic rags to riches tale Kevin Crease was plucked from spruiking raincoats in 1957 to become the first 5DN announcer.

Prior to radio he had led an interesting life working as a copyboy with The News, did National Service and then was kicked out of the military for taking an armoured car in a bid to meet up with a girlfriend.

The army found him not guilty of stealing the car but guilty of stealing sultana cake!

John Martin’s invited Crease to host closed-circuit TV shows in its stores. His in-store performance caught the eye of then Channel 9 managing director Bill Davies and program manager Rex Heading and he became the first person to present television in South Australia.

He later co-hosted mornings with Jeff Sunderlandon 5AD in the 1980s.

Crease, who was also Channel 7’s newsreader from 1977 to 1987, was former premier Don Dunstan’s press secretary from 1975 to 1977 when he took a break from TV.

He returned to Channel 9 in April, 1987 as news presenter for National Nine News and celebrated forty five years in television in 2004.

71 year old Crease was diagnosed with cancer in February when he returned from annual leave feeling “unwell”.