Born in Latrobe, Tasmania, in 1941, his 50-year career started as a cadet at The Examiner in Launceston in 1958, and in 1962 he became the first news editor at Launceston's TNT9 television station. He worked as a news, football and tennis writer at The Herald in Melbourne between 1964 and 1966, and later at The Age and Newsday.