745
In her debut documentary Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke, writer, director and Big Issue regular Lorin Clarke gives us a glimpse at life with her famous comic father John Clarke. In this edition, she tells us about growing up with the man up who took funny business, and gumboots, very seriously.
I was brought up in Kingston, which is a few miles south of Woodridge in southeastern Queensland. It was my mum, dad and sister at home, but Dad was away a lot. Eventually my parents split up, so Mum did a lot on her own. I found primary school difficult and didn’t like it much…
Read MoreI used to be an athlete. I got a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport when I was 14, and was with them for 10 years. I’ve travelled to Germany, Brazil, Spain, Hungary, Malaysia and Argentina to compete in the world championships for the intellectually disabled. I’ve held a world record and won gold…
Read MoreI grew up with a single mum and an elder sister in St Albans, Melbourne. I never knew my father; he died when I was one. My mum’s parents are Ukrainian, and during this turmoil I’ve been wishing I could do more. I got the amazing Ukrainian trident (tryzub) tattoo, so now it’s always close…
Read MoreI grew up in Adelaide, in the suburb of Payneham. Been there all my life. I went to Payneham Primary School, then went to Marden High. I haven’t lived out of the town. Growing up, I played cricket locally for my school, and for a couple of years at Payneham Cricket Club. I played soccer…
Read MoreI hated school. I hated discipline. At that time, you were allowed to leave school at 15, and on my 15th birthday I was like “see you later”! When I left school, I started off as a cabinet maker. But I didn’t have much of an education, so I got let go because I couldn’t…
Read MoreI’m known as “The French Kiwi” to everyone around me. Born in Whangārei, in the North Island of New Zealand, I had the only French name in town. And boy did I get picked on for that! For the first seven years of my life, I grew up in foster care. The family were so…
Read MoreI grew up in Hoxton Park, out past Liverpool. Back then, it was more like living in the country than in Sydney. We had a farm with a hay shed. We had cows, geese and chooks. My mum and dad were great; they really took care of us. They taught me: don’t eat fatty foods;…
Read MoreI was born in Melbourne. Mum had rubella in the second month of pregnancy, and they weren’t too sure how I was going to come out. I just happened to be a miracle baby. I was born with no vision in the left eye, and six per cent vision in my right eye. I’m just…
Read MoreI came into the world in 1957, in Young, New South Wales. I was the second born, and the black sheep of the family. I was always into mischief – wagging school, playing up. We moved to Forbes, and I got a job on a dairy farm before I turned 16. I’d milk cows, do…
Read MoreI grew up in Adelaide, in Cowandilla. I was there for about 15 years. My parents split up, and I ended up on my own. I was homeless for a while. Then I did mining and stuff, looking for opals in Coober Pedy. I’d find some now and then, just enough to keep going. It’s…
Read More