Derryn Hinch, a renowned journalist, newspaper editor, writer, radio announcer, current-affairs TV host, was born to a family of four children in New Plymouth, North Island, New Zealand. Despite being opinionated and sometimes controversial, Hinch grew up with a dream to become a journalist.
At the age of 15, he landed his first job with the local Taranaki Herald. He disliked school and eagerly awaited adulthood. In 1963, Hinch sold his first car, a pink 1948 Morris Series E, to finance his trip across the Tasman to Australia.
He joined the Sydney Morning Herald and became a foreign correspondent for the Fairfax Group in 1968. Later, he was promoted to the post of New York bureau chief. Upon his return to Australia, Hinch signed on as morning announcer at Radio 3AW in Melbourne in 1979.
He quickly rose to the top of the morning ratings, becoming the undisputed King of Melbourne radio. Hinch has been married three times, with his most famous ex-wife being the actress Jacki Weaver, who starred in the 1975 classic 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'.
In 1988, he began hosting the top-rating, current-affairs TV programme 'Hinch' on the Seven Network for the next five years. Known for his tireless crusade for the voiceless and his nemesis-like stance against criminals, Hinch faced a brush with the law in 1987, when he was found in contempt of court and jailed for 12 days for revealing the identity of a convicted child molester during a trial.
TV chat show beckoned in 1994, when Derryn replaced Ray Martin as host of Nine's Midday. His career probably peaked in 1996, when Sydney radio station 2GB enlisted him reportedly for $500,000 a year.
The Human Headline, as he is known throughout Australia, got his nickname not without a reason. Seven months after being hired by 2GB, he was unceremoniously sacked for the eighth time (allegedly for confronting his boss over lewd behavior during dinner). This time, the roller-coaster ride drove him to alcoholism and nearly left him penniless.
