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[Frankie Stevens Singing with Performers Using NZSL During the 1981 Telethon]

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Description: This image was taken (but not used) for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on Monday 29th June 1981.

Singer Frankie Stevens, performing with singers using New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). Signing was a feature of Telethon '81 segments across the country. The visibility of sign language in use gave a huge public awareness boost for the language and the deaf community as a whole. NZSL did not become an official national language of New Zealand until 2006.

Telethon 1981 was for the International Year of Disabled Persons. Telethon was a 24-hour live television spectacular designed to raise money for charitable causes. It originated in the United States, but New Zealand put a typically Kiwi spin on the event. Local performers, amateur and professional were joined by international stars, who entertained New Zealand to raise money for charity. Groups of people from schools, clubs, and pubs, contributed cash and cheques, often in an oversized format, to add to the pledged totals on the day of the event.