John O’Grady

John O’Grady, aka Nino Culotta, had hoped to become a doctor but drought and family bankruptcy put paid to that. While he qualified as a pharmacist instead, that was only one of the many professions he explored. The toils of a salesman, teacher, builder’s labourer, fisherman, opal miner and more were grist to the mill of his prolific writing career, resulting in essays, novels, poems and plays. Founder of The Sydney Repetory Company, he had three wives, four kids, an eccentric house on the Georges River and a permanent stool at the Oatley pub. A full life.

John O’Grady died in 1981.