Frank Walker (Australian journalist)
Encyclopedia
Frank Bartley Walker was an Australia
n journalist
and non-fiction
writer.
, the son of Frank and Ethel Walker. Walker attended Newington College
(1934-1936) before entering the University of Sydney
to study arts whilst a resident of Wesley College
. He joined the Sydney Morning Herald as a journalist in 1938.
, and served as a lieutenant
in corvette
hunting submarines. During the war he married Joyce, an army nurse who had served in Palestine
.
, Walker returned to the Herald and was posted to the United States of America where he worked with Reuters
-Australian Associated Press. His reporting of McCarthyism
brought him into conflict with Joe McCarthy and his wife's visa was cancelled. He then worked for Reuters in London
before joining The Herald (Melbourne)
.
by showing something symbolic of Australia without spruiking immigration as such ads were banned in Scandinavia
. He became Australian press attache in Germany in 1960.
in 1980 and wrote a number of military histories. In 1999 his wife died and he died in 2008 survived by his second wife, Erika, and two sons, Peter and Frank Walker
.
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 journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
writer.
Early life
Walker was born in Hay, New South WalesHay, New South Wales
Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....
, the son of Frank and Ethel Walker. Walker attended Newington College
Newington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
(1934-1936) before entering the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
to study arts whilst a resident of Wesley College
Wesley College, University of Sydney
Wesley College is a Protestant co-residential college of over 230 students within the University of Sydney. The College occupies a site on the main campus of the University of Sydney and was built on a sub-grant of Crown Land.- Academic profile :...
. He joined the Sydney Morning Herald as a journalist in 1938.
War service
In 1939, Walker enlisted in the Royal Australian NavyRoyal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
, and served as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
hunting submarines. During the war he married Joyce, an army nurse who had served in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
Journalism
Following World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Walker returned to the Herald and was posted to the United States of America where he worked with Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
-Australian Associated Press. His reporting of McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
brought him into conflict with Joe McCarthy and his wife's visa was cancelled. He then worked for Reuters in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
before joining The Herald (Melbourne)
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...
.
Government service
In 1956 he joined the Australian Government Information Service and worked from London on immigration publicity. He revolutionised Australian immigration advertisements in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by showing something symbolic of Australia without spruiking immigration as such ads were banned in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. He became Australian press attache in Germany in 1960.
Retirement
Walker retired to Budgewoi, New South WalesBudgewoi, New South Wales
Budgewoi is a suburb located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, as part of the Wyong Shire local government area. Budgewoi itself is located more than 100 km north of the Sydney central business district....
in 1980 and wrote a number of military histories. In 1999 his wife died and he died in 2008 survived by his second wife, Erika, and two sons, Peter and Frank Walker
Frank Walker (Australian author)
Frank William Walker is an Australian journalist and non-fiction writer.-Early life:Walker is the son of Frank Bartley Walker and attended his father's alma mater, Newington College .-Journalism:...
.
Publications
- HMAS Armidale Lives On (Kingfisher Press, 2005)
- The Dark Betrayal (Kingfisher Press, 1997)
- Corvettes : little ships for big men (Kingfisher Press, 1995) ISBN 0-646-259180
- The Mystery of X-5 (London, 1988) ISBN 0718306287
- HMAS Armidale : the ship that had to die (Kingfisher Press, 1990)
- Hearts of Oak (Patersons Printing, 1945)
- Tales of the sea (Sydney, 1943]