“I grew up on the land. I went to a one-teacher primary school in northern NSW. I milked cows, castrated young pigs, rode horses, mustered cattle, trapped wild dogs, shot goannas and felled trees with a crosscut saw. I left home when I was 16. I joined the Forestry Commission in Glen Innes in 1960, road surveying in the bush. I came to Canberra, got married and started teaching in government primary schools. I retired in 2015 and the acting bug had free rein.
“I have been acting on and off for over six decades. There have been many highlights, including Howard Wilton in The Man, Sergius in Arms and the Man, John Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest and Hal Carter in William Inge’s Picnic.
”In Canberra in the early 80s I appeared in Canberra REP’s Satire Tonight, as Private Peter Able in A Sleep of Prisoners, Nick in Bedroom Farce and Bluntschli in Arms and the Man. I also performed in Joan of Arc at the Stake for Canberra Opera and local playwright Malcolm Pettigrove’s award winning plays with the Attic Players.
“Following retirement, I was Telegin in Uncle Vanya (CAT Award nomination) and the Old Man and Siward in Macbeth. I was Ablett in Trelawny of the “Wells”, Wally in Australia Day and Emperor Joseph II in Amadeus in 2023 – all for Canberra Rep. In 2018 I was Antonio in Much Ado About Nothing for Shakespeare By the Lake. I was also cast as The Old Man in Fool For Love in Sydney in 2019. This was followed by Sorin in Seagull, 2024, and Shrewsbury in Mary Stuart, 2024, both for Chaika Theatre (ACT Hub). In 2025 I was Chorus Leader in Greek Theatre Now’s Sophocles’ Antigone. I’m excited to be rejoining the distinguished cast of that company in its 2026 production of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King.
”I have also recently recorded over two dozen podcasts, written or adapted by local identity Bart Meehan.
“I’m currently growing lavender commercially on the family property. I’ve come full circle.”
