The Australian’s national chief correspondent, Hedley Thomas is an investigative journalist, author and true-crime podcaster. Winning eight Walkley Awards including two Gold Walkleys, and for his reporting through 2022, he received the Graham Perkin Award as Australia’s Journalist of the Year.
His first job in newspapers was as a copyboy on the Gold Coast Bulletin in 1984. Hedley worked as a journalist covering tumultuous news events in London, Europe and Hong Kong for eight years. He and his wife Ruth have lived in a semi-rural community near Brisbane since 1999.
His investigations since 2017 have attempted to solve cold case murders of Australian women. Hedley pursued Chris Dawson for the 2018 global smash hit podcast, The Teacher’s Pet, leading to the former star footballer finally being found guilty 40 years after the 1982 murder of his wife, Lyn. His other podcasts are Shandee’s Story, Shandee’s Legacy, The Night Driver, The Teacher’s Trial and The Teacher’s Accuser. His first book was Sick To Death in 2007.
Hedley’s podcasts have achieved more than 100 million downloads and have topped charts in Australia, the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
Hedley’s books will be available at the Festival Bookshop.