Frank Hatherley

My first job after North Sydney High was in advertising, where I was following my highly successful elder brother. Then I side-stepped into radio announcing, where I was following my noted father. Alas, 2WL Wollongong, Voice of the South Coast, proved not to house the Grail.

In 1963, I ran away to London, which suited me just fine. After some false starts, I won a Trainee Director’s Scholarship to a respected regional theatre company in Sheffield. Great, exciting, long days: rehearsing one play during the day, performing another one at night, writing my own in any remaining moments.

By 1971 my actress partner and I had a baby, so we headed for London to attempt a less precarious existence and I stumbled into BBC television drama, first as a script editor, a few years later as a producer. I came to Sydney for four months in 1976 to co-produce The Emigrants, a four-part drama I had devised. By now Patricia and I had two daughters, and I hurried back to London.

I moved to Thames Television, had a time of being out of work which coincided with the birth of daughter number three, answered an advertisement for a 10-week teaching stint on a BA Media Studies course at the Polytechnic of Central London. The chap I was replacing never recovered, so I stayed as Senior Lecturer for the next 18 years. The Poly eventually became the University of Westminster.

Offered early retirement at 55, I grabbed it. My long relationship had ended. Returning to Sydney for a first visit in 20 years, I happened to meet Janice, my first official girlfriend from age 15-18. Before Janice the only girls I had ever known went to Fort Street.

I returned to Sydney in 1997 and we got married a year later. Two of my accomplished daughters come to Sydney often, if never often enough: my eldest now lives here. In my comfortable dotage I have returned to writing stage plays which make no money but which give me much satisfaction. You can read about them at www.frankhatherley.com

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