Hector William Crawford CBE AO (14 August 1913 – 11 March 1991) was an Australian entrepreneur, conductor and media mogul, best known for his radio and television production firms.
His parents were William Henry Crawford, a commercial traveller, and Charlotte, née Turner, a contralto and organist.
There were also radio dramas such as No Holiday for Halliday, Sincerely Rita Marsden, My Imprisoned Heart, A Woman in Love, Inspector West, and Lone Star Lannigan.
The singing competition Mobil Quest (1949–1957)[5] first brought coloratura sopranos Joan Sutherland and June Bronhill and tenor Donald Smith to public notice.
Then came Showcase (1965–69; a major talent quest that discovered a large number of big names; Crawford also conducted the Showcase Orchestra), Hunter (1967–69), The Box (1974–77), The Sullivans (1976–82), the miniseries All the Rivers Run (1983), as well as Division 4, Matlock Police, Cop Shop, Skyways, The Flying Doctors and Carson's Law, among other programs.
[10] These concerts were presented a number of times during each summer season on Sunday afternoons, firstly in the Fitzroy Gardens and from 1959 in the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
The concerts were performed by the Australian Symphony Orchestra,[5] especially formed by Crawford for the purpose, and supplemented by a wide range of mainly well-known artistes.
[11][12] The 2007 Guinness Book of World Records lists it as the greatest attendance at a concert in the Southern Hemisphere in history.
[2] Crawford was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year's Honours of 1968, "in recognition of service as Director of Music for the People".
[21] In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1986, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), "for service to Australian television production".