Kevin Heinze

Kevin Carl Heinze (1 April 1928[1] – 1 September 2008) was a pioneering presenter of gardening on television in Australia. He hosted a gardening program for ABC Television entitled Sow What, which was mostly shot on location at his one-hectare home garden in Montrose, an outer suburb of Melbourne, from 1967 to 1988.[2] He also presented for ABC Radio in Melbourne between 1967 and 2004.[3] He was known for his "cheerio" sign off at the end of his programs. Heinze was an advocate for gardening in schools and initiated the School Garden Awards scheme in Victoria.[2]

Following the death of his eight-year-old daughter Kim in 1974, an open day, attended by 50,000 people, was held at his garden to raise money for cancer research.[4] He and his wife Jill eventually raised over half a million dollars for cancer research. He later became patron of the Kevin Heinze Garden Centre in Doncaster which provides gardening activities for people with disabilities.[3]

Following a heart attack, Heinze died on 1 September 2008, aged 80.[1][2] Most of his garden was donated to the local shire council to enable the public to visit in the future.[4]