Nancy Knudsen
{{Short description|Australian actress and journalist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Nancy Knudsen
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1940}}
| birth_place = Mareeba, Queensland, Australia
| occupation = TV announcer, actress, businesswoman, and journalist
| years_active =
| spouse =
| children =
| mother =
| works =
}}
Nancy Knudsen (born 1940) is an Australian retired TV announcer, actress, businesswoman, and journalist. She was named Miss Queensland in 1959 and received the Logie award for the most popular female personality in Queensland in 1961.{{Cite web |title=Meet multi-million Nancy |url=https://smharchives.smedia.com.au/Olive/APA/smharchive/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=SMH/1986/07/27&id=Ar16000&sk=32C32BE6 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=smharchives.smedia.com.au}}{{Cite web |title=Nancy Knudsen |url=https://smharchives.smedia.com.au/Olive/APA/smharchive/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=SMH/1988/04/23&id=Ar03200&sk=EECF454C |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=smharchives.smedia.com.au}}{{Cite web |title=Australian Television: 1959-1961 Logie Awards |url=http://www.australiantelevision.net/awards/logie1959_61.html |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=www.australiantelevision.net}}
Early life and education
Knudsen was born in Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. She then completed her Master of Arts in Writing and Literature at Deakin University.{{Cite web |last=Austlit |title=Nancy Knudsen {{!}} AustLit: Discover Australian Stories |url=https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A130501 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=www.austlit.edu.au |language=en}}
Career
Knudsen started her career after receiving the title of Miss Queensland in 1959 as a TV announcer and producer at the BTQ Channel 7 in Brisbane.{{Cite news |date=1959-08-22 |title=MISS AUSTRALIA FINALISTS ON PARADE |work=Canberra Times |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103128860 |access-date=2023-02-08}}{{Cite web |date=2017-07-15 |title=Television comes to South East Queensland (1959) {{!}} State Library Of Queensland |url=https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/television-comes-south-east-queensland-1959 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=www.slq.qld.gov.au |language=en}}
In 1963, she left the position and started acting, and her acting credits include Homicide (1964), Skippy (1969), Color me Dead (1969), and Wake in Fright (1971).{{Cite news |title=TV star Nancy Knudsen releases new book Accidentally Istanbul |url=https://www.escape.com.au/world/tv-star-nancy-knudsen-releases-new-book-accidentally-istanbul/news-story/eba7bba2096c9fdf3033fec7e792a0d4}}{{Cite web |date=2016-04-30 |title=Love affair leads to Turkish delight |url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/travel/tv-star-nancy-knudsen-releases-new-book-accidentally-istanbul-ng-eba7bba2096c9fdf3033fec7e792a0d4 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=PerthNow |language=en}}
In 1976, she started a travel company called Sydney Express, the first of several travel agencies and later sold.{{Cite web |title=Nancy Knudsen » HerBusiness |url=https://herbusiness.com/profile/nancy-knudsen/ |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=HerBusiness |language=en-AU}}{{Cite news |date=1984-02-20 |title=See-it-all outback tours by private air charter |work=Canberra Times |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article116391160 |access-date=2023-02-08}} In 1984, Nancy founded Air cruising Australia and Bill Peach Tours, and became the only living female chair of a public company in Australia.{{Cite news |title=A DIFFERENT TACK |url=https://www.dianagieseeditorial.com.au/files/weekender_newcastle_herald_june_2011.pdf}}
In 2003, Knudsen started sailing around the world with her husband, Ted Nobbs, on a 46ft yacht, returning to Australia in 2008.{{Cite web |title=Sydney International Boat Show opens in nine days |url=https://www.sail-world.com/Asia/Sydney-International-Boat-Show-opens-in-nine-days/-86120 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=www.sail-world.com}}{{Cite web |title=Cruising |url=https://cyca.com.au/cruising/ |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=Cruising Yacht Club of Australia |language=en-AU}}
In 2011, she became a councillor of Dungog Shire and later became Mayor in 2017.{{Cite web |last=Mexon |first=Michelle |date=2017-06-20 |title=New mayor calmly getting on with the job |url=https://www.dungogchronicle.com.au/story/4737827/new-mayor-calmly-getting-on-with-the-job/ |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=Newcastle Herald |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |last=Mexon |first=Michelle |date=2017-06-20 |title=New mayor calmly getting on with the job |url=https://www.dungogchronicle.com.au/story/4737827/new-mayor-calmly-getting-on-with-the-job/ |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=Dungog Chronicle |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |last=Mexon |first=Michelle |date=2017-05-01 |title=Dungog votes "No" to a merger |url=https://www.dungogchronicle.com.au/story/4632817/dungog-votes-no-to-a-merger/ |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=The Advertiser - Cessnock |language=en-AU}}
Recognition
Knudsen became Miss Queensland in 1959 and received the Logie award for the most popular female personality in Queensland in 1961. Knudsen was one of the finalists for Miss Australia in 1959.{{Cite news |date=1959-08-21 |title=Miss Australia Finalists To Arrive To-day |work=Canberra Times |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103128749 |access-date=2023-02-08}} Knudsen received the Telstra Business Owner of the Year award for developing and branding her company, Knudsen Enterprises, in 1998. In 2007, she received a Seamanship Award from the Ocean Cruising Club of Australia and won a Cruising Trophy for the 2011 Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.{{Cite web |title=Sail-World Journalist Wins Seamanship Award |url=https://www.sail-world.com/Asia/Sail-World-Journalist-Wins-Seamanship-Award/-39243 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=www.sail-world.com}}
Publications
- 2011: Shooting Stars and Flying Fish.{{Cite book |last=Knudsen |first=Nancy |url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/5149697 |title=Shooting stars and flying fish: swapping the boardroom for the seven seas |date=2011 |publisher=Arena |isbn=978-1-74237-665-3 |location=Crows Nest, N.S.W |oclc=710044148}}{{Cite web |title=Search results for Allen - Brisbane City Council Library Services - OverDrive |url=https://brisbane.overdrive.com/search?query=Allen+&+Unwin+Pty+Ltd+Shooting+Stars+and+Flying+Fish |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=Brisbane City Council Library Services |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Deakin University / All Locations |url=https://library2.deakin.edu.au/search~S1?/hDrama./hdrama/-3,-1,0,B/frameset&FF=hdownloadable+ipg+ebooks&3,,3 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=library2.deakin.edu.au}}