2 Leabons Lane, Seven Hills, NSW 2147.
How many of you passed through the doorway of this 2WS radio station on your way through life? 2WS came to life on November 23, 1978 from a little cottage at that address then moved in October 1979 to the purpose built building below known affectionately as the Pizza Hut in the West.
The Pizza Hut in the West – Image thanks to Bankstown City Council
The original cottage was demolished with its materials donated to charity. The new station home was officially opened by then NSW Premier Neville Wran. The main image plaque greeted you on the way in the front door to speak with Hans Torv and Kaylee Harris, Pete Graham and Sammy Power or Glenn Daniel and Steve Blanda in the newsroom (the late Glenn Daniel’s birthday was shared with 2WS, Pete Graham’s the day after – happiest of birthdays Pete!)
FM was embraced in 1993, and the station studios moved to Artarmon, then North Ryde and finally to North Sydney earlier this year.
David Rogerson has done three stints with 2WS, first with Wesgo and then later under ARN as Group Program Director. He decided to take a tour of the new North Sydney facilities, with a surprise from current management in store.
David Rogerson left and Mike Byrne right
Isn't it amazing that in all stories regarding 2WS and its beginnings that they all give the impression it began with my friend Hans Torv and Kaylee Harris. The original team of Murray Ingles, Bruce Barnet, Wayne Hunt, myself in Drive, David Halliday, Bob Hughes and Tony Seracina never get a mention. I was fortunate to become the first #1 rating shift on the station. We were a great team, the team that built a radio station that changed the face of Sydney radio.
I'm glad the plaque has ended up in the hands of Dave Rogerson. It will be cherished and is in good hands.
When I was a student at Granville TAFE in the Electronics Engineering Certificate in late 1983, my class in the subject "Life Oriented Studies" went on a tour of the "Pizza Hut" complex at Leon's Lane Steven Hills.
One studio that was a small 3m x 3m studio facing an open plan room. I recall it was live. The room had the mixer, a number of cartridge machines and racks of cartridges.
I don't remember how many studios were at the complex, but the complex has been repurposed as the studios of Hope 103.2, aka 2CBA-fm.
Anthony, a TAFE education got me entry into two of the world's highest ranking universities, Macquarie and UNSW, of Strathfield South in the land of the Wangal and Darug People's of the Eora Nation