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Phillip W. Hedger
About Phil Hedger
Phil Hedger has been story-telling almost from birth, and has much to draw on from in his varied and interesting life. At age 14, he went to work as a Jackaroo on a sheep station...view moreAbout Phil Hedger
Phil Hedger has been story-telling almost from birth, and has much to draw on from in his varied and interesting life. At age 14, he went to work as a Jackaroo on a sheep station in northern Australia, where OH & S training was a warning— ‘watch out for snakes in your bed.’
After a few years he joined the Royal Australian Navy, where the OH &S training was a little better – ‘never volunteer for anything.’
Phil wrote his first book at the age of thirteen, while still in high school. One of his teachers caught him working on it during class and took it from him. Without telling Phil, the teacher edited it, and had one copy made and placed in the school library. Where it is now no one knows – he swears that it will never be inflicted on the public.
In 1987, while still driving his own truck, Phil was asked to research and write the documentary Island lights, the history of Tasmanian lighthouses, for TasTV. At the same time Phil was commissioned by Truckin' Life magazine, to write a 12 part serial, The Carters. With these two commissions coming out of the blue, Phil decided to sell his truck and become a fulltime writer. He spent a year writing furiously and sold nothing more --- it was time to go and get a real job.
Phil started his own business as a handy man, and which was slowly becoming successful, until a near fatal accident left him with a broken back, a fracture skull and a broken neck. He fell ten metres on to a concrete floor.
Unable to walk for quite some time, Phil turned to writing for something constructive to do – he wrote When Thunder Rolls, with the inspiration coming from a Garth Brooks song, Thunder Rolls, while he was in CAT scanner. Phil reckons that When Thunder Rolls was born of being hit in the head rather hard.
After a few years Phil was able to walk again and became a Teachers’ Aide working with special needs children in high school, until recently.
Now he has returned to his first love, the love of writing. Phil has said that he learned to read and write at the kitchen table after school when his mum would get him to read to her, and on occasion, write her a letter.
From these modest beginnings comes the Scfi-Western When Thunder Rolls, the first of many stories to come from this talented writer's pen.
His second book, Marlowe & Juliet, the true story of Romeo & Juliet... give or take a lie or two, is available now as an EBook from www.bullwriter.com.auview less