{{Short description|Australian television presenter (1928–2008)}} {{Use Australian English|date=April 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Kevin Heinze | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Kevin Carl Heinze | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1928|4|1}} | birth_place = Australia | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2008|9|1|1928|4|1}} | death_place = | other_names = | known_for = "Sow What" | occupation = Horticulturist<br/>Television presenter<br/>Radio presenter }}
'''Kevin Carl Heinze''' (1 April 1928<ref name="Money">{{Cite news|first=Lawrence |last=Money |title=Sunny skies for Kev in a week of tempests |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/sunny-skies-for-kev-in-a-week-of-tempests/2008/04/03/1206851106645.html |work=The Age |date=4 April 2008 |access-date=2008-09-02 }}</ref> – 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.<ref name=ABC>{{Cite news|title=ABC TV gardening pioneer Heinze dies | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/02/2352664.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080902063808/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/02/2352664.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=2 September 2008 |publisher=ABC News|location=Australia |date=2 September 2008 |access-date=2008-09-02 }}</ref> He also presented for ABC Radio in Melbourne between 1967 and 2004.<ref name="The Age"/> 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.<ref name=ABC/>
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.<ref name="Gardening Australia">{{Cite web|title=Fact Sheet: Gardening Hero – Kevin Heinze|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=8 October 2005|url=http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1471649.htm| access-date=2008-08-02}}</ref> 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.<ref name="The Age">{{Cite news|first=John |last=Elder |title=Kevin bids his last cheerio |work=The Age |date=19 December 2004 }}</ref>
Following a heart attack, Heinze died on 1 September 2008, aged 80.<ref name=Money/><ref name=ABC/> Most of his garden was donated to the local shire council to enable the public to visit in the future.<ref name="Gardening Australia"/>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Heinze, Kevin}} Category:1928 births Category:2008 deaths Category:Australian gardeners Category:Television personalities from Melbourne