John Dingwall (13 July 1940 – 3 May 2004) was an Australian journalist, writer and director of film and television, best known for his screenplay ''

Sunday Too Far Away ''Sunday Too Far Away'' is a 1975 Australian drama film directed by Ken Hannam. It belongs to the Australian Film Renaissance or the "Australian New Wave", which occurred during that decade. The film is set on a sheep station in the Australian ou ...

'' (1975). Dingwall should not be confused with the Scottish journalist of the same name.

Career

Dingwall was born in

Rockhampton, Queensland Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of t ...

, where he commenced his career as a journalist with a cadetship at the city's daily newspaper, ''

The Morning Bulletin ''The Morning Bulletin'' is an online newspaper servicing the city of Rockhampton and the surrounding areas of Central Queensland, Australia. From 1861 to 2020, ''The Morning Bulletin'' was published as a print edition, before then becoming a ...

''. He then moved to Sydney, where he worked as a police reporter for ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' before going to

Crawford Productions Crawford Productions is an Australian media production company, focused on radio and television production. Founded in Melbourne by Hector Crawford and his sister, actress and voice artist Dorothy Crawford, the company, also known as Crawfo ...

as a television writer, working on programs such as ''

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

'' and ''

Division Four The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

''.Simpson, Roger (20 May 2004
A nose for the stories that define us
''

''. Retrieved 19 September 2020. He moved into features with ''Sunday Too Far Away'', which was based on his brother-in-law's experiences as a

sheep shearer A sheep shearer is a worker who uses (hand-powered)-blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing. History During the early years of sheep breeding in Australia, shearing was carried out by shephe ...

. He later became a producer and director.

Personal life and death

He died on the Gold Coast on 3 May 2004. His son Kelly Dingwall (born 23 December 1970) is an actor, best known for his role as Brian "Dodge" Forbes on ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a tr ...

'' and many other Australian TV series.

Filmography

His film and TV series credits include: *''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network (now known as the 10 Network) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town o ...

'' (TV series) – writer *''

'' (1975) – writer *''

Pig in a Poke A ''pig in a poke'' is a thing that is bought without first being inspected, and thus of unknown authenticity or quality. The idiom is attested in 1555: I wyll neuer bye the pyg in the poke Thers many a foule pyg in a feyre cloke A "poke" is a b ...

'' (1977) (TV series) – writer, creator *'' Buddies'' (1983) – writer, producer *''

Phobia A phobia is an anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected go to great lengths to avo ...

'' (1987) – director, writer *''

The Custodian ''The Custodian'' is a 1993 Australian drama film, written and directed by John Dingwall, starring Anthony LaPaglia, Hugo Weaving and Barry Otto. LaPaglia plays Det. Sgt. James Quinlan, a police officer who attempts to bring his corrupt partner ...

'' (1993) – director, writer

References

External links

*
"John Dingwall"
at

AustLit AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature), usually referred to simply as AustLit, is an internet-based, non-profit collaboration betwee ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dingwall, John 1940 births 2004 deaths Australian film directors Australian screenwriters Australian television directors Australian television writers Logie Award winners 20th-century Australian screenwriters 20th-century Australian journalists The Sydney Morning Herald people Australian male television writers