About Ian Heydon

Ian Heydon is an award-winning comedy writer who, over the past four decades, has written for television, radio, print, stage, internet and has a number of recordings.

Ian’s hobbies include scuba diving (before the wheelchair), painting (canvases, not houses), fine wine (and not so fine wine) and playing pool, piano and ten-pin bowling.  Married with two grown-up kids he lives in Toowoomba in South-East Queensland.

After 20 years away from writing full-time to work in the travel industry and, following his MS diagnosis, Ian returned to writing creatively in 2020. Possibly a rare positive to come out of COVID-19!

Television

Writer on various comedies and specials including Kingswood Country, Daily At Dawn, Graham Kennedy’s World of Comedy, Home Sweet Home, AFI Awards, Howard: The Mild Colonial Boy.

Radio

Writer/producer comedy/lifestyle programs including For The Term Of Her Natural Life, The Samuel Pepys Show, How Green Was My Cactus, The Year My Country Broke, Paul Clitheroe’s Talking Money, Getaway. Guest lecturer at the Australian Film Television and Radio School 1995 – 1999.

Stage

Union Soup, The Samuel Pepys Show, Everybody Makes Misteaks, Ned Kelly: The Panto, Black & Blue (A Black Eye for the White Guy). Currently writing a musical jukebox play, The 77 Club.

Recordings

4 albums from Samuel Pepys Show, 5 from How Green Was My Cactus, 1 from The Year My Country Broke. Lyrics for Wind in the Wire, Sand & Sea and Barbed Wire Fences (Dave Prior), comedy/lyrics Big Fat Bastards Like Me, The Soup’s Too Hot, Have I Missed Anyone? and The Functioning Drunk. Writer Full Member APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association Ltd).

Print

• Publisher and Creative Director for Kid Zone – national monthly magazine for 9-14 year olds (1987-1990).
• Contributor – Internet chapter for three editions Paul Clitheroe’s Making Money (1998/99/2001).
• Contributor Making Radio – A Practical Guide to Working in Radio in the Digital Age, Radio comedy three editions (2000, 2006, 2011)
• Contributor Making Radio and Podcasts (2022)
• Author, The Small Guide to A Big Country (Explore Australia 2003)
• Articles for Voyeur and Holidays for Couples magazines (2005)
• Co-author (with Dave Prior, his memoir), A Man Walks Into A Bar (2019)
• Author, three novels, The King of Clubs, Mr Merriman is Missing and The Next Big Thing (2020)
• Memoir, Why Don’t You Get a Real Job? (2020)
• You Wouldn’t Read About It (How to Write Your Memoir) (2021)
• Works in progress – novels, The English Fruit Picker, The Happiest Widow in the Village and Our House – non-fiction, They’re Not a Weird Mob.

Internet

• Developed and Produced Getaway Online (1996-1998).
• Executive Producer, Travel Online (1999-2001)
• Creative Director, Ancestor Travel and Great Britain & Ireland Visitors Bureau (2002)
• Small Guide to A Big Country (2003)
• Vanuatu A to Z and Honeymoon Vanuatu (2003)
• Fiji A to Z and Cook Islands A to Z (2004)
• Resort Weddings, Tropical Honeymoons and Study Vanuatu (2005)
• Samoa A to Z (2006)
• Go Vanuatu, Cruise Vanuatu, Honeymoon Pacific (2007)
• Weddings Vanuatu (2009)
• Wedding Writer, Pacific Insider, South Pacific Weddings (2011)
• Cane & Able Travel, Cairns Disabled Travel (2012)
• Functioning Drunk, Canberra Disabled Travel, Disability Cruising, South Pacific Cruising (2013)
• Brisbane Disabled Travel, Best Deals Fiji, Best Deals Vanuatu, Forever Free, (2014)
• Rydges Post (2012/2013/2014/2015)
• Tropical Holiday Deals and Erakor Island Resort, Vanuatu (2016 – 2020)
• MSing About (2023)

New Media/Short Films

• MSing About YouTube Channel (2023, 2024).
• MSing About Podcasts (2023,2024)
• What’s In A Name short film (2021)
• The Curator and Wheel Alignment (2022)
• Seize the Fish (2023)
• My MS Story and No Strings Attached (2024)

Awards

• “Pater” (Australasian Academy Of Broadcast Arts and Sciences) Scriptwriter of the Year (1983, 1984 & 1985)
• “Pater” for Best Independent Production (1987)
• “Goldie” Time Club Award for Best Advertising Campaign (1985)
• “Raward” (Radio Industry Award) Best New Syndicated Program (1993)
• Accreditation Fiji Matai Travel Specialist (2005)
• Inaugural Business disABILITY Award for Business Innovation (2012)
• Highly Commended Award Focus on Ability Short Film Festival (2021)
• Best Actor Focus on Ability Short Film Festival (2021)
• Highly Commended (Top 5) Focus on Ability Short Film Festival (2023)
• Highly Commended (Top 5) Focus on Ability Short Film Festival (2024)

Nominations

• “Awgie” (Australian Writers Guild) (1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993)
• “Pater” (1984, 1985)
• “Raward” (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995)
• Telstra Financial Review Internet Awards, Best Travel/Leisure Site (1997)
• People’s Choice Heritage Song for Wind in the Wire, Australian Country Music Awards (2001)
• Business disABILITY Awards in the Employment and Innovation & Access categories (2013)
• Business disABILITY Awards in the Social Inclusion category (2022)
• Business disABILITY Awards in the Social Inclusion category (2023)