"Well as you may have noticed, we made a bit of news of our own last night for all the wrong reasons," Henderson said on Friday night.

'A catastrophic technical failure blacked out our studio for a couple of hours, so I'm back for an encore performance tonight.

"We'd like to say sorry for the confusion and lack of an explanation last night. Everyone was really scrambling to try and figure what had gone wrong."

The 65-year-old promised there would be no more glitches and the bulletin continued without a hitch.

Weatherman Paul Higgins ended his segment with a special forecast: "A long and happy retirement for our Hendo".

Higgins told Henderson that accolades had been pouring into the station since he announced his retirement on October 2.

"It just goes to show how much part of everyone's lives you've become," he said.

"Along with all of your colleagues here at ABC News, I'll miss your camaraderie, wisdom, your guiding hand in the newsroom, your eloquence, your wit and fierce advocacy for journalistic standards."

Higgins wished the newsreader goodbye before a newsreel of Henderson's career highlights aired.

Henderson signed off "his long and happy stint at the ABC" with a thank you to viewers for all their "kind and thoughtful" goodbye messages.

"And for welcoming me into your homes - it has been real privilege and a rare pleasure," he said.

"To all of you, travel well, and should our paths cross down the track, make sure you say hello.

"For now, my best wishes. Goodnight."