Richard Glover

Richard Glover is the laid back host of ABC 702‘s Sydney Drive show every week afternoon. He has worked variously as an actor, newspaper journalist, waiter, lift driver, scriptwriter and author.

As comfortable in a broadcasting suite as he is in front of a crowd, Richard is in constant demand as an MC, facilitator and keynote speaker for corporate and public events. He regularly facilitates panel discussions for his own radio show, including the weekly public broadcast of Thank God Its Friday. Richard also facilitates panel discussions for clients that include the NSW Art Gallery.

About Richard Glover:

Richard Glover is the author of multiple books, among them The Land Before Avocado – a journey into a lost Australia, the bizarre Australia of the late 60s and early 70s. It has been described by Hugh Mackay as “warm, wise and very, very funny”, and by Annabel Crabb as “Hilarious and horrifying, the ultimate intergenerational conversation starter’ .

Richard is also author of “Flesh Wounds – a comic romp for anyone whose family was not what they ordered.” It’s been described by the British writer Jeanette Winterson as “Sad, funny, revealing, optimistic and hopeful” and by The Australian as “a breathtaking accomplishment in style and empathy”.

Richard’s weekly humour column has been published in the Sydney Morning Herald for over twenty years. He writes regularly for The Washington Post and also presents the top-rating Drive show on ABC radio in Sydney. In December 2011 he and Peter Fitzsimons achieved a record for the world’s longest radio interview, supervised by the Guinness Book of Records.

Richard has written a few stage shows, including Lonestar, a stage show about country music, which toured nationally with Genevieve Lemon, and A Christmas Story, which was performed at the Sydney Opera House, with Richard Wherrett directing. He was one of the co-authors of Breast Wishes.

Richard has been shortlisted for the Walkley Awards three times – once for his radio interviews, and twice for his newspaper journalism. He has a Bachelor of Arts with first class honours from the University of Sydney, and is secretary of the NSW Journalists’ Benevolent Fund.

Richard has been with 702 ABC Sydney since January 1996, before which he worked for 12 years as a print journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald, including stints as that paper’s News Editor, Arts Editor and European Correspondent.

He lives with the playwright Debra Oswald, they have two sons.

Richard Glover speaks about:

Richard draws on The Land Before Avocado to take a patriotic look at the enormous strides that Australia has made, and how we should be proud of what we’ve achieved (as well as having a good laugh at what we’ve left behind.)