Geoff Hutchison

After 16 years as a radio broadcaster and current affairs host, and after many thousands of programmes, Geoff Hutchison said goodbye to ABC Radio Perth in October of 2022. And so ended more than forty years, chasing the story and inviting others to tell theirs.

It had been a career of enormous variety and reward. As a sports reporter with the Nine Network’s flagship sports show, Sports Sunday Geoff spent time with some of the biggest names imaginable – from Muhammed Ali to Kareem Abdul Jabbar to Carl Lewis; to his favourite, the Lithgow Flash and later Governor of South Australia Marjorie Nelson (Jackson) who shone more brightly than any other after she casually revealed that her Olympic gold medals were ‘out in the shed somewhere’. Marjorie was the only Olympic gold medal winner to ever come and have dinner at Geoff's house, where they enjoyed a lovely lamb roast.

Geoff reported for Nine from London, Los Angeles and then Melbourne and took his journo-as-the story role very seriously when he competed in the World Bog Snorkelling Championships in Wales; auditioned to become a professional wrestler at a dubious gym in Sacramento, where he was played like a human squeeze box; and in Canberra, where he took on the reigning world 50 metres freestyle champion Alexander Popov in an incredible and daring match race. Alexander was part man, part fish - Geoff was part man, part chips.

He also appeared in the Robert Altman film The Player and did an improv comedy course at the famous Groundling Theatre in Los Angeles, where he was clearly the standout performer of the 1992 intake. Even though the school did not see it that way.

In 1998, Geoff wanted to pursue serious current affairs and within weeks of joining the 7.30 Report was nominated for a Walkley Award for an investigation into an horrendous blaze that claimed the lives of five bushfire volunteers.

In 2001, Geoff became the ABC’s European correspondent based in Brussels. He also reported from Israel and Washington during the Gulf War. That overseas posting was notable mainly for the fact he faced arrest as a possible White House intruder after losing my bearings on Pennsylvania Avenue on the way back to my hotel - lightly jumping a low fence and into the arms and crosshairs of some very cross men.

On his return to Melbourne Geoff was given the opportunity to fill in on Jon Faine’s morning programme on ABC Radio and was then offered the equivalent job in his hometown of Perth. And there for the next sixteen years Geoff talked to the rich and powerful and the people they were there to serve. He expresses hoping to become a voice to be trusted and relied upon – either during a pandemic or in the midst of a vicious fire season.

But after many years behind the microphone, he had talked enough and so Geoff said goodbye, thinking about writing a book. It would become ‘How Not to Become a Grumpy Old Bugger. It was one of the year’s surprise non-fiction best sellers. An authentic, heartfelt and frankly hilarious (at times) exploration of what happens to blokes of his age, when they don’t think they matter much anymore. Writing the book and talking and touring Australia to share its hopeful message has been one of the great thrills of Geoff's life.  It now looks likely for a US release in late 2026.

Now Geoff has begun writing his second book ‘The Last Fish Finger – How to be a perfectly adequate and sometimes rather exceptional father’. Another encouraging invitation for blokes to live well, be happier and get the bloody vacuum cleaner out without being asked.