Journalist and Foreign Correspondent: From Australia to the Crossroads of Europe
A journalist and foreign correspondent, I have 30 years of experience in journalism in Australia and overseas. From television reporting in Canberra to covering French and European news for newspapers around the world at the European Parliament and Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Though not everyone recognises Strasbourg, ‘capital of Europe’, as being in France. Many think it’s in Germany, on the other side of the Rhine, or in Austria. (‘How’s life in Salzburg?’ They ask)
‘The journalist from the end of the world’ – le bout du monde. That’s how the local Strasbourg Magazine described me, after I stood right on the very crossroads of Europe for this photo during my first year in the city.
I rented a maid’s room in an incredible location – at the intersection of the Allée de la Robertsau, leading to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, the Avenue de l’Alsace heading west, and the Avenue de la Fôret Noir heading to Germany. All roads lead to Strasbourg!
Before moving to France in 1996, I began my journalism career in Australia, working in TV, radio and print journalism. Firstly, at Prime Television in Canberra and the ABC radio newsroom in Melbourne, and then, freelancing for newspapers, magazines, and various ABC Radio National programs.
Europe Correspondent
From 1998, I covered EU news for newspapers and radio. The Toronto GlobeMail, The Montreal Gazette, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Singapore Straits Times and The South China Morning Post. These are some of the titles for whom I have been a regular or occasional correspondent over the years.
Based between Sydney and Paris since 2015, I’ve written on French and EU news as well as issues back home in Australia. Below is a portfolio of my stories, starting with a few relics from newspapers in the days when stories were only in print.
My ‘Eurofile’ column for the Montreal Gazette was written from the Council of Europe. Just as email communication with editors replaced story filing by fax. What an antiquity I am! Further proof of this is the following story from the Gazette’s archives about French activist farmer, José Bové. The ‘Robin Hood of Roquefort’ as I dubbed him. I’ve always been good at headlines (and modesty).
Journalist and Foreign Correspondent: Reporting From France
Journalist and Foreign Correspondent: Reporting for the South China Morning Post
The Digital Age: Reporting for Forbes
My reporting went fully digital during the pandemic. Reporting for Forbes, I wrote hundreds of stories on the travel fallout for travellers. It was an exciting time, though I hope it’s not repeated. Some of my stories were getting up to half a million views.
One American reader said I was ‘the best travel intel around’! … I provided timely information on the travel implications of the pandemic. Mostly in France, the EU, the US and Australia. (Because the call of home is strong … and I was locked out!)
Borders, tests, travel restrictions, I had it covered. Frankly, I was amazed at the lack of informative and accurate reporting on such a huge issue.
As the pandemic broke out, my first story was a marathon effort to collate information on the border closures across Europe. The story ‘Who Can Travel to Europe Now’ got almost 400,000 views. I had around a million visitors a month to my contributor page – wooing readers with my compelling, timely and accurate stories – about 20-25 a month.
Journalist and Foreign Correspondent: Reporting From Home
Australia was home to the world’s longest lockdown and arguably the most watertight border closures. Down Under, in Fortress Australia, Melbourne was subjected to six lockdowns totalling 262 days between March 2020 and October 2021. The city understandably went lockdown crazy.
Travel Deprived: Airline News
Covid demonstrated just how much we are all hooked on travel. Then it turned us off it! As airlines slowly returned to European skies from aviation graveyards, this story attracted almost 200,000 readers.
The border closures grounded airlines globally, though much less so in the US than in Europe or in Australia, which came to a standstill.
