John Hinde
Encyclopedia
John Hamilton Hinde AM
(26 October 1911 - 4 July 2006) was an Australia
n broadcaster and film reviewer. He worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC) for more than fifty years, in both television and radio.
Hinde was also one of Australia's first foreign correspondents, reporting from the Pacific Theater
during World War II
.
Upon his death he bequeathed A$1 million to start a literary prize in honour of his late wife. He also left $500,000 to establish the John Hinde Award, for a science fiction script for film or television.
. He started studying medicine at the University of Adelaide
, but dropped out and married. After a short lived marriage he went first to Melbourne
and later to Sydney
.
In Sydney, Hinde got a job with The Daily Telegraph
in 1937, but was sacked by the editor, Syd Deamer, who mistook him for someone else. Hinde then took a job with the Labor Daily
, but soon left because of a political disagreement. Deamer later became editor of ABC Weekly and rehired him. Hinde then joined the ABC News and Current Affairs
department in 1939 and in the same year married for the second time to Barbara Jefferis
(who later became a well-known novelist).
, after senior correspondent, Haydon Lennard, was badly injured in a plane crash in New Guinea. Hinde was attached to General Douglas MacArthur
's headquarters in 1942, first in Melbourne and then Brisbane, and eventually got to New Guinea
and the Pacific.
Hinde was hurt whilst at Hollandia
in Netherlands New Guinea
, after a Japanese
Betty bomber
bombed an US Army ammunition dump. His eyes were badly injured, which affected him for the rest of his life.
After the war Hinde returned to Sydney and was responsible for writing the ABC's first television news bulletin. But in 1963, with no career progress, a frustrated Hinde resigned from the ABC and for three years, with his wife earning a good living from her novels, Hinde indulged in electronics, his favourite pastime.
30 and tickets to three movies a week which he then critiqued on a radio show: initially on 2BL
, but later on Radio National
and ABC regional radio.
Hinde made the transition from radio to television, in 1983, and found the switch surprisingly easy. Hinde found though that on television he could not be as critical as on radio, but the value of showing footage made up for that. By 1986 he was doing film reviews every Sunday night as part of the ABC television news.
's ABC show McFeast. He was renowned for outrageous skits on the show, even donning high heels and pink tights for McFeast's foray into the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
. He was astonished that he had gained a cult following, saying "When I went to Adelaide recently, young people were stopping me in the street everywhere".
In 1999, threatened by blindness, he was obliged to retire because he could not watch films properly. In 2002, Hinde was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
in the Queen's Birthday Honours
list for his services to the film and media industry.
He died on 4 July 2006 in a nursing home in Sydney.
was created in 2007 in honour of Hinde's late wife of 64 years, Barbara Jefferis
. The literary prize will be one of Australia's richest, the result of a $1 million bequest
by Hinde.
The Australian Society of Authors
(ASA) will administer the Award, which will go to the author of "the best Australian novel that empowers the status of females or depicts them in a positive light." The annual prize will be at least $35,000 but is likely to be around $42,000 to match the Miles Franklin Award
.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(26 October 1911 - 4 July 2006) was an Australia
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 broadcaster and film reviewer. He worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) for more than fifty years, in both television and radio.
Hinde was also one of Australia's first foreign correspondents, reporting from the Pacific Theater
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
during World War II
World 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...
.
Upon his death he bequeathed A$1 million to start a literary prize in honour of his late wife. He also left $500,000 to establish the John Hinde Award, for a science fiction script for film or television.
Early years
Born in 1911, Hinde grew up up in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. He started studying medicine at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, but dropped out and married. After a short lived marriage he went first to 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...
and later to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
In Sydney, Hinde got a job with The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
in 1937, but was sacked by the editor, Syd Deamer, who mistook him for someone else. Hinde then took a job with the Labor Daily
Labor daily
The Labor Daily was a Sydney-based journal/newspaper of the early to mid 20th century. An organ of the Australian Labor Party, it was published in Sydney by Stanley Roy Wasson after the ailing Daily Mail was absorbed by Labor Papers Ltd, who began publication under that name on 6 January 1922 with...
, but soon left because of a political disagreement. Deamer later became editor of ABC Weekly and rehired him. Hinde then joined the ABC News and Current Affairs
ABC News and Current Affairs
ABC News and Current Affairs is the name of the division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that controls content classified as news, public affairs and business and finance....
department in 1939 and in the same year married for the second time to Barbara Jefferis
Barbara Jefferis
Barbara Jefferis AM was an Australian author.-Early life, and character formation:Barbara Jefferis was the daughter of Tarlton Jefferis and Lucy Barbara Ingoldsby...
(who later became a well-known novelist).
War correspondent
In 1942 Hinde got a break as a war correspondentWar correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
, after senior correspondent, Haydon Lennard, was badly injured in a plane crash in New Guinea. Hinde was attached to General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's headquarters in 1942, first in Melbourne and then Brisbane, and eventually got to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and the Pacific.
Hinde was hurt whilst at Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
in Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the West Papua region while it was an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. Until 1949 it was a part of the Netherlands Indies. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea...
, after a Japanese
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, the organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.It was controlled by the Navy Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy and...
Betty bomber
Mitsubishi G4M
The Mitsubishi G4M 一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻 Isshiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty...
bombed an US Army ammunition dump. His eyes were badly injured, which affected him for the rest of his life.
After the war Hinde returned to Sydney and was responsible for writing the ABC's first television news bulletin. But in 1963, with no career progress, a frustrated Hinde resigned from the ABC and for three years, with his wife earning a good living from her novels, Hinde indulged in electronics, his favourite pastime.
Film reviewer
After the ABC's previous reviewer, Frank Legg, was killed in a car crash, Hinde was offered freelance work as the film critic. To start with he received £Australian pound
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
30 and tickets to three movies a week which he then critiqued on a radio show: initially on 2BL
702 ABC Sydney
702 ABC Sydney is an ABC radio station in Sydney, Australia. It is the flagship station in the ABC Local Radio network and broadcasts on 702 kHz on the AM dial....
, but later on Radio National
Radio National
ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide non-commercial radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Radio National broadcasts national programming in areas that include news and current affairs, the arts, social issues, science, drama and comedy...
and ABC regional radio.
Hinde made the transition from radio to television, in 1983, and found the switch surprisingly easy. Hinde found though that on television he could not be as critical as on radio, but the value of showing footage made up for that. By 1986 he was doing film reviews every Sunday night as part of the ABC television news.
Cult following
Towards the end of his career, Hinde gained a new generation of fans through appearances on comedy programs like Elle McFeastElle McFeast
Elle McFeast is an Australian television character created by comedian Libbi Gorr. The character appeared in several popular shows during the 1990s beginning in the ABC series Live and Sweaty in 1991 and becoming the host in 1993...
's ABC show McFeast. He was renowned for outrageous skits on the show, even donning high heels and pink tights for McFeast's foray into the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
The Sydney Mardi Gras is an annual LGBTQI pride parade and festival in Sydney, Australia, and draws in thousands of visitors from around Australia and overseas...
. He was astonished that he had gained a cult following, saying "When I went to Adelaide recently, young people were stopping me in the street everywhere".
In 1999, threatened by blindness, he was obliged to retire because he could not watch films properly. In 2002, Hinde was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in the Queen's Birthday Honours
Australian Honours System
-History:The Commonwealth of Australia, until 1975, used the Imperial or British honours system. Only a handful of peerages were created for Australians, some in recognition of public services rendered in Britain rather than Australia. Some hereditary peers and baronets whose titles derive from...
list for his services to the film and media industry.
He died on 4 July 2006 in a nursing home in Sydney.
Barbara Jefferis Award
Upon Hinde's death the Barbara Jefferis AwardBarbara Jefferis Award
The Barbara Jefferis Award is an Australian Literary award prize. The award was created in 2007 after being endowed by John Hinde upon his death to commemorate his late wife, author Barbara Jefferis. It is funded by his $1 million bequest....
was created in 2007 in honour of Hinde's late wife of 64 years, Barbara Jefferis
Barbara Jefferis
Barbara Jefferis AM was an Australian author.-Early life, and character formation:Barbara Jefferis was the daughter of Tarlton Jefferis and Lucy Barbara Ingoldsby...
. The literary prize will be one of Australia's richest, the result of a $1 million bequest
Bequest
A bequest is the act of giving property by will. Strictly, "bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property. In legal terminology, "bequeath" is a verb form meaning "to make a bequest."...
by Hinde.
The Australian Society of Authors
Australian Society of Authors
The Australian Society of Authors is the peak body representing Australia's literary creators and is the major advocate for the rights and remuneration of authors in Australia...
(ASA) will administer the Award, which will go to the author of "the best Australian novel that empowers the status of females or depicts them in a positive light." The annual prize will be at least $35,000 but is likely to be around $42,000 to match the Miles Franklin Award
Miles Franklin Award
The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
.
External links
- ABC Around the World - World War II - The Pacific
- The Age News article upon his death