LEG BEFORE WICKET

I have been inundated with phone calls and e-mails about the life and tragic death of cricketer David Hookes since Australian Story went to air last night and his “girlfriend” Christine Padfield went public about their relationship.

I broke the story last year, shortly after Hookes violent death, that a myth had been created about his life. Other broadcasters on 3AW adopted the “blokey-blokey” position of denying Hookes had separated from his wife. They promoted daily this image of the Hookes family being the Brady Bunch. When it was a lie. And so did the Herald Sun day after day.

I watched the Hookes funeral at the Adelaide cricket ground on TV and cried and in a three-minute tribute to a fellow broadcaster spent just twelve seconds saying that there was another woman grieving out there. Remember his estranged widow took no part in the service.

All hell broke loose and several executives at 3AW demanded I be fired. Even though all I did was tell the truth. And I was sent to Coventry.

It continued today with Neil Mitchell again accusing an unnamed broadcaster (me) of “grandstanding”. Forget the fact that I have been vindicated for telling the truth.

And remember, on 3AW we run a thing called The Rumour File and people have no compunction in reporting things like the marriage split up of Jeff Kennett and Felicity.

The interesting thing about last night is that Christine Padfield was not the woman I was talking about when I said Hookes had a girlfriend and was not living with his wife. Not a moral judgment. Just a fact.

And the plot thickens. TodayI got an e-mail from a Sydney lover of the ex-cricketer.

And it said in part:

“I have sent you previous emails re David Hooks. At the time I thought that your direct approach to be a little tacky and was very close to the bone. I have had a change of heart. Today I open the Sydney Telegraph to find quite a large article on David’s so-called girl friend. So am I. I’ve just sat through Australian Story. Shit, am I cranky. Initially I wasn’t aware of a so-called Melbourne girlfriend. David and I had been seeing each other for some 6 years. Aware of David’s marriage, initially our relationship was staggered, but during the last two years before his death it was much more. I live in Sydney, David in Melbourne and everywhere else with his travels and I wasn’t stupid. I knew David could be a rascal but he especially became more determined around September/October 03. He was very keen for me to pack up everything, sell my business and just go for it. Now I feel like I was just used , lied to, led on and whatever else you can think of.”

And to complicate matters more, like Christine, that Sydney woman wasn’t the one I was referring to when I broke the 3AW-Herald Sun hypocritical cone of silence about Hooksey’s supposed Brady Bunch life.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2005