Australia Day Ambassador
Benita Collings
Ambassador for Parramatta City Council
Benita’s face is synonymous with Australian childhood and Play School, where she has been a presenter since 1969 and still tours with live Play School Concerts across the country.
Benita is an accomplished actress and began her career at The Independent Theatre in 1955, studying under Doris Fitton, with names such as Reg Livermore and Owen Weingott. She then joined the famed Ensemble Theatre and Hayes Gordon, playing lead roles in many Ensemble productions.
Benita has worked extensively in television drama with roles in Division 4, Homicide, Rafferty’s Rules, A Country Practice, The Restless Years and The Sullivans among others and has made appearances on Talkin’ bout Your Generation, Rove, the James O’Loghlin Show, Backberner, and the Micallef Programme.
Her film credits include Knowing (with Nicholas Cage), Computer Ghosts, Return to Eden and Sun Struck, alongside Harry Secombe and most recently shot Australian film The Tree.
Benita has presented documentaries for: CES, Telecom, Griffith University (QLD), The NSW Department of Sport, Recreation and Racing, and St John Ambulance and worked as a narrator with The Sydney, Tasmanian and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, The Sydney Youth Orchestra and The West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
She has provided numerous voiceovers for television and radio, and recorded nine albums and CDs, many for Play School and more recently, narrating and singing for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra Education Chamber Orchestra.
Benita has also been MC for many corporate and public events including Carols in the Domain.
