Northland's Ray Woolf celebrates 60 years of entertainment

Veteran entertainer Ray Woolf croons to Kerikeri Retirement Village residents Isabella Trail, 87, left, and Claire Champtaloup, 80. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Veteran entertainer Ray Woolf turned on the charm with the Michael Bublé number You Make Me Feel so Young when he performed for a not-so-young audience in Kerikeri last week.

The singer, actor and TV host was at Kerikeri Retirement Village on Thursday to launch his autobiography Hey Woolfie, Welcome to the World, which spans his 60 years in the entertainment industry.

UK-born Woolf, who has lived in Peria in the Far North for more than 30 years, told an 80-strong audience about the highlights of his career, his shock diagnosis with type-1 diabetes in 1985, and his efforts to raise money for Panguru after the North Hokianga town was devastated by floods 20 years ago.

His first TV appearance was on In The Groove in 1962; by 1979 he was fronting his own music and talk programme, The Ray Woolf Show.

When he was offered the job of hosting childrens' TV show Play School early in his career the would-be rock star was horrified, but he agreed anyway.

It was a turning point which led to multiple TV and movie roles, including in Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong.

''That taught me never to be afraid to go through a new door,'' Woolf said.

As well as performing a few songs Woolf, who is now 75, was interviewed during the book launch by long-time friend and former Treaty Grounds chief executive Jeanette Richardson.

On Friday night he performed with the Mike Walker Trio at the Kerikeri Jazz Club, held in the Turner Centre's Theatre Bar.

Woolf was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2008. The book is co-written with Roger Booth.

Woolf said the book concentrates on his 60 years in the entertainment industry as a singer and actor.