AustLit

Errol Hodge spent his early years in Sydney, moving to Hill End in inland New South Wales during World War II. Hodge was a student at Newcastle Boys' High School and took up a cadetship with the Maitland Mercury after leaving school. While working, he studied at Newcastle University and later at The University of Sydney and Boston University.

Hodge worked with the ABC and was editor-in-chief of Radio Australia. (His book Radio Wars deals with the latter organisation.) Hodge also lectured in journalism at RMIT, the Queensland University of Technology and Monash University.

Hodge met his fourth wife, Zhang Weihong, on a visit to China. At the time, Zhang was writing her doctoral thesis on Thomas Keneally. She came to Australia at Hodge's invitation when he undertook to arrange an interview for her with Keneally.

Source: Nigel Starck, 'Foreign Correspondent Had the Bush in His Blood', Age (21 May 2010): 16