Douglas Lockwood
Encyclopedia
Douglas Wright Lockwood was an Australia
n newspaper
man and author.
Born in Natimuk
, 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Horsham
in Victoria
's Wimmera
district, Lockwood left school at 12 to help run his father's newspaper, the weekly West Wimmera Mail, at the height of the Great Depression
.
With his father's blessing he left home at 16 and worked as a reporter on rural Victorian papers in Camperdown
, Tatura
and Mildura
before being hired by Sir Keith Murdoch
in 1941 as a journalist on The Herald
in Melbourne
. He stayed with The Herald's parent company, the Herald and Weekly Times
(HWT), for the rest of his life.
At the end of 1941 he was sent to Darwin
with his new wife, Ruth (née Hay), and was there for the first enemy attack on Australian soil on 19 February 1942.
After war service in the islands he returned to Darwin for the HWT group. Apart from a year in Melbourne (1948) and two in the group's London office (1954-56), Lockwood remained in Darwin, writing 12 of his 13 books, until 1968, when he became managing editor of the HWT group's two newspapers in Port Moresby
. He amalgamated them to create the country's first national daily, the PNG Post-Courier. Other senior editorial management roles followed, in Melbourne, Brisbane
and again in Port Moresby. He was appointed managing editor of the Bendigo Advertiser
in 1975 and remained there until his death.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
man and author.
Born in Natimuk
Natimuk, Victoria
Natimuk is a town in Western Victoria, Australia. It is located about 300km northwest of Melbourne. A further 10km west of Natimuk is one of Australia's best climbing areas, Mount Arapiles. At the 2006 census, Natimuk had a population of 449.-History:...
, 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Horsham
Horsham, Victoria
Horsham is the largest city by population and regional centre of the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia and is approximately north-west of Melbourne via the Western Highway. At the 2006 census, Horsham had a population of 14,125. Horsham is in the federal Division of Mallee...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
's Wimmera
Wimmera
The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria.It covers the dryland farming area south of the range of Mallee scrub, east of the South Australia border and north of the Great Dividing Range...
district, Lockwood left school at 12 to help run his father's newspaper, the weekly West Wimmera Mail, at the height of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
With his father's blessing he left home at 16 and worked as a reporter on rural Victorian papers in Camperdown
Camperdown, Victoria
Camperdown is an historically significant rural town in southwestern Victoria, Australia, south west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Camperdown had a population of 3,165.-History:...
, Tatura
Tatura, Victoria
Tatura is a town 17 km west-south-west of Shepparton in Victoria, Australia located 3 km off the Midland Highway, forming part of the City of Greater Shepparton. At the 2006 census, Tatura had a population of 3,533, however the true figure is believed to be close to 4,400. Attractions...
and Mildura
Mildura, Victoria
Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...
before being hired by Sir Keith Murdoch
Keith Murdoch
Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch was an Australian journalist and the father of Rupert Murdoch, the CEO and Chairman of News Corp.-Life and career:Murdoch was born in Melbourne in 1885, the son of Annie and the Rev...
in 1941 as a journalist on The Herald
The Herald (Melbourne)
The Herald was a broadsheet newspaper published in Melbourne, Australia from 1840 to 1990.The Port Phillip Herald was first published as a semi-weekly newspaper on 3 January 1840 from a weatherboard shack in Collins Street. It was the fourth newspaper to start in Melbourne.The paper took its name...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He stayed with The Herald's parent company, the Herald and Weekly Times
The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd
The Herald and Weekly Times Limited is a newspaper publishing company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned and operated by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited, who purchased HWT in 1987.-Newspapers:...
(HWT), for the rest of his life.
At the end of 1941 he was sent to Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
with his new wife, Ruth (née Hay), and was there for the first enemy attack on Australian soil on 19 February 1942.
After war service in the islands he returned to Darwin for the HWT group. Apart from a year in Melbourne (1948) and two in the group's London office (1954-56), Lockwood remained in Darwin, writing 12 of his 13 books, until 1968, when he became managing editor of the HWT group's two newspapers in Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
. He amalgamated them to create the country's first national daily, the PNG Post-Courier. Other senior editorial management roles followed, in Melbourne, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and again in Port Moresby. He was appointed managing editor of the Bendigo Advertiser
The Advertiser (Bendigo)
The Bendigo Advertiser is the daily newspaper for Bendigo and is published by Rural Press Limited....
in 1975 and remained there until his death.