This is a tale of two septuagenarians: one a journalist, the other a Cardinal. You know which one should come first. It was 1981, and Ita Buttrose was the Murdoch recruit, the new editor-in-chief of the Sydney Daily and Sunday Telegraph, after a sterling career as an editor for Sir Frank Packer for the popular … Continue reading A tale of two septuagenarians: A Queen reigns over the ABC while a Cardinal simmers in his cell
Kerry O’Brien: A mammoth memoir and a history lesson
It’s been a while since my last blog post. The reason: I have been reading the mammoth memoir of the distinguished journalist, foreign correspondent, presenter and author, Kerry O’Brien. It’s 834 pages of meaty material, with 36 more: acknowledgments, notes, bibliography and an index. No photos. Otherwise, it would have reached 900 pages. (The TV … Continue reading Kerry O’Brien: A mammoth memoir and a history lesson
I’m dreaming of a fallen Trump
Like all lapsed Catholics, I still have a guilt complex: guilt drilled into me from priests and nuns and Christian Brothers, guilt from committing a mortal sin, ranging from thinking impure thoughts to telling lies in confession. It was a long time ago. These days the greatest guilt of all comes from a recurring nightmare … Continue reading I’m dreaming of a fallen Trump
The Sedaris Diary: Something to write home about
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris I have to admit it's taken me a long time to finish reading volume one of David Sedaris' Theft by Finding 1977-2002 (Photo of David Sedaris above). I've reviewed other books in the past year and posted them on my blog, including Hugh Riminton's Minefields, his compelling … Continue reading The Sedaris Diary: Something to write home about
Leslie Seymour: The Everywhere Man — Have Camera Will Travel
“Who the hell is Leslie Seymour?” That’s what journalist and broadcaster Ray Martin asks facetiously in his foreword to the autobiography of Les Seymour, his long-time mate, and it’s a fair question. Unless you’re a veteran journo or a media junkie, you may not have heard about cameraman extraordinaire, Les Seymour. All he’s ever done … Continue reading Leslie Seymour: The Everywhere Man — Have Camera Will Travel
Strewth! A magnificent memoir of home truths
“What do you call a fart in the bathtub?” It was a question I asked award-winning columnist of The Australian, author, snake lover and bagpipes player, James Jeffrey (Photo above The Australian), a decade or so ago. The answer, of course, is “Gorp,” the sound of a fart in the bath. James liked it and … Continue reading Strewth! A magnificent memoir of home truths
Sam the Man: A tenacious titan of television generous to a fault
Sam Chisholm, sales director and former head of Channel Nine, Managing Director of BSkyB, and television executive extraordinaire, was also known as a legend in his own lunchtime. But lunches were special to journalists and tv executives in those days. My best mate, Cliff Neville, who died in 2012, was the supervising producer of Nine’s … Continue reading Sam the Man: A tenacious titan of television generous to a fault
Dear Diary: Why hast thou forsaken me?
Sorry about the headline, but I wanted to get your attention. It comes from Psalm 22.1: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" The psalm Christ recited on the cross. My cross is much less of a burden. It's just trying to decide if it's worth going through more than 30 years of … Continue reading Dear Diary: Why hast thou forsaken me?
Real war stories from the Fall of Singapore to El Alamein and the Kokoda Track
I have always loved books, and have been writing reviews for publication since 1966 when I was the editor of The Villanovan, the Villanova University newspaper in the US. I was also the literary editor of The Australian in the early 1980s for two years, and have reviewed books for decades. I am only mentioning … Continue reading Real war stories from the Fall of Singapore to El Alamein and the Kokoda Track
Cricket Australia: The Tamper Crisis
During my years in the control room putting the Nine Sunday Program to air, inevitably there were mistakes: some more serious than others, usually, though, only the wrong caption name or a misspelling. But inevitably there was an angry outburst from the senior producer of the day that often had a director’s assistant or technical … Continue reading Cricket Australia: The Tamper Crisis
