Curiosity leads Deane and Jan to West Lakes

He was one of the most recognised faces on Australian TV, with guest appearances on Hey Hey It’s Saturday and regular segments on radio and television. But it was his time as host on The Curiosity Show that captivated fans in every corner of the country. Deane, 82, and his wife Jan have been married for nearly 60 years, and while no longer at the dizzying heights of fame, they are feeling right at home in their new apartment at the very top of the new five-storey Uniting SA West Lakes Aged Care complex.

They are among more than 20 residents who now live with beautiful views while having access to UnitingSA West Lakes’ residential and respite care if and when they need it.

And while Deane has settled into retirement and a life out of the spotlight, he’s still an A-grade celebrity to the many residents in the Residential Aged Care floors below, where he now presents a regular science show. Their view from the top floor overlooks what has always been a familiar neighbourhood. While Deane’s incredible run on The Curiosity Show took him to other parts of the world, the couple have spent most of their lives in the local area, and only recently sold their beachfront home at nearby Semaphore Park.

Deane was born in Semaphore and went to Largs Bay Primary School and Adelaide Technical High School. His father was a well-known local photographer with a shopfront on Semaphore Road. He and Jan later raised their three children at Semaphore Park.

It was when Deane was a science teacher at a local high school that he took his first steps into the world of TV.

“I did my first television work with the ABC. At first I did a series of five programs and they asked me to do more. I thought there was too much red tape, and I turned them down,” Deane says.

“Channel 9 had seen the programs and contacted me and asked if I would be interested in doing a weekly science segment.

“They said “You can do whatever you like… you do the scripts… you decide.”

Deane appeared on Here’s Humphrey, presenting science for pre-schoolers, and special editions for school-age children.

In fact, The Curiosity Show was originally called Humphrey’s Curiosity Show.

Deane won a scholarship to study Visual Perception at Indiana University, where he completed a PhD.

“Dr Rob Morrison was selected to continue my role as the Science Adviser and Presenter on The Curiosity Show, and when I returned from overseas, I joined forces with Rob Morrison as co-hosts,” Deane says.

Over the next 18 years The Curiosity Show became one of the most watched children’s programs in the nation.

“It went to 30 stations in Australia and five other countries and won the international Prix Juenesse award for children’s television,” he says.

Deane, who is well-known for his iconic 70s moustache, was recognised everywhere. So when Deane decided to shave off his moustache it caused a funny reaction.

The producer was unhappy. He told Deane to grow it back, pronto. They had filmed dozens of segments with Deane with a moustache, and it was going to cause problems as they sewed segments together to make an episode.

“I said, “It’s my face, and I don’t want the moustache,” Deane says.

“The then the producer insisted that I have a professionally made moustache.

“But it would always be consistently there, or not there, each program.”

The script would always say “Moustache needed”, or “No moustache needed”. However, sometimes things got confused. One night Deane turned up without his prosthetic moustache when it was needed.

They had to send a taxi to Deane’s address to fetch it from where it lived in the top drawer of his bedside cupboard.

The next time it happened, co-host Rob cut Deane’s hair and created one using double-sided tape.

“They just didn’t get any close-ups of me talking that episode,” Deane says.

Despite his stardom, Deane and Jan said they led a pretty normal life.

“People would ask our kids… “What’s it like having a dad who is famous?” And the kids used to say, “It’s no different, really”,” Jan says. “Until one day our daughter brought home a friend from school to do some homework together.

“She and her friend came into the kitchen and Deane was standing on an upturned plastic bucket, with one hand holding the on/off switch on the electric cooker, and the other hand on a thing called the Van De Graff generator, and he was shooting sparks from his pointed finger to light the stove.”

The Van De Graff generator is what is known as an electrostatic generator and is often seen at science shows and causes people’s hair to stand on end. It also generates an electric spark, which Deane was using to light his stove that day.

The Curiosity Show ran from 1972 to 1990 and during that time Deane and Rob travelled the world with a Channel 9 crew filming segments such as the geothermal segments in Rotorua in New Zealand and the geothermal energy of Singapore’s hot springs.

Together, Deane and Rob published many books.

In 2023, The Curiosity Show lives on with a dedicated YouTube Channel with millions of viewers.

Deane spent many years travelling to and from Melbourne to film Hey Hey It’s Saturday, and he was a much sought after speaker and presenter. He later toured the country, presenting science shows in schools.

Deane and Jan moved into UnitingSA West Lakes Vista Apartments in 2022.

“Our house was getting a lot to manage”, Jan says.

When Jan had to have a knee replacement recently, Deane was able to access the Residential Aged Care downstairs for respite care for five weeks while she recovered.

“We’ve lived in this area nearly all of our lives. A lot of our relatives and friends are nearby,” Jan said.

“And everything is within walking distance. It’s very convenient to a lot of things. And if we need any help, it’s not far away.”