Mark Whittaker

{{Short description|Australian writer}} {{distinguish|Mark Whitaker (disambiguation){{!}}Mark Whitaker}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2015}}

{{Infobox person | name = Mark Whittaker | image =  | caption = | birth_name = Mark Cornelius Whittaker | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|7|29|df=y}} | birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Journalist, non-fiction writer, writing coach | education = Newington College | spouse = Amy Willesee | domestic_partner = | parents = Bill Whittaker (father) | children = 4 | website = {{URL|https://www.markwhittakerwritingcoach.com/}} }}

'''Mark Cornelius Whittaker''' (born 29 July 1965<ref name="auto">Newington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) pp 214</ref>) is an Australian journalist, non-fiction writer and writing coach.<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=http://markwhittakerwritingcoach.com/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620230252/http://markwhittakerwritingcoach.com/|archive-date=20 June 2021|title=I can help you write your book and get it published|access-date=1 September 2020}}</ref> He lives in Berry, New South Wales.<ref name="auto2"/>

==Early life== Whittaker was born in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of horse racing journalist Bill Whittaker,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2005/03/21/australias-many-media-dynasties/|title=Australia's many media dynasties|date=2005-03-20|website=Crikey|access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref> and attended Newington College (1978–1983).<ref name="auto"/>

==Career== In 1985 Whittaker commenced as a copy boy with News Limited and became a staff writer on ''The Weekend Australian Magazine'' in 1993. Seven years later he left the ''Magazine'' to travel around Australia and write. In 2005, his book ''Sins of the Brother'' was made into a television mini-series, ''Catching Milat''.

He regularly writes for the ''Good Weekend'' magazine and ''The Australian'' newspaper.

In 2016, SBS Australia ran a 5-part podcast series called ''Out of Sight: The Untold Story of Adelaide’s Gay Hate Murders'' which was written and narrated by Whittaker.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/feature/out-sight-untold-story-adelaides-gay-hate-murders |title=Out of Sight: The untold story of Adelaide's gay-hate murders |website=Topics |language=en |access-date=2020-03-02 |archive-date=1 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301231137/https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/feature/out-sight-untold-story-adelaides-gay-hate-murders |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/season-3-sbs-true-stories-podcast-explores-adelaide-murders-401434 |title=SBS explores Adelaide murders in season three of True Stories podcast |date=2016-10-12 |website=Mumbrella |language=en-US |access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref> The series highlighted gay-hate crimes, including the murder of George Duncan, The Family Murders, and the deaths of David "John" Saint (d. April 1991), Robert Woodland (d. 2004), and Andrew Negre (d. April 2011). The series also connected to SBS's ''Deep Water'' (TV series) and its related documentary about other unsolved gay hate crimes in Sydney. In 2019, he investigated the death of Jimmy O'Connell to write and narrate a podcast about the murder, ''Blood Territory'',<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Blood-Territory-Audiobook/B07VYKMGXW?source_code=M2MOR127081919005K&ipRedirectOverride=true&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv7L6BRDxARIsAGj-34ruAB5o2HBd_7SCQWtt39pX5oo9hSmq94gNlL6LQ6YJ-u1MY6TwJMgaArJJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds |title=Blood Territory on Audible.com |access-date=2020-09-01}}</ref> for Audible.

==Awards== *2002 – With wife and co-author, Amy Willesee,<ref name="auto1"/> won the Asia-Pacific Travel Writing Award for their book on the Kathmandu royals murders<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://us.macmillan.com/author/|title=Mark Whittaker {{!}} Authors {{!}} Macmillan|website=US Macmillan|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref> *2005 – Walkley Award for Magazine Feature Writing for ''The Weekend Australian'' article "Ordinary Heroes" about the people who attempted to rescue Sophie Delezio and Molly Wood from a burning childcare centre<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsawards.com.au/files/pdf/06/designer-01_1.pdf?download%3D1%26filename%3Ddesigner-01_1.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2010-10-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221165526/http://www.newsawards.com.au/files/pdf/06/designer-01_1.pdf?download=1&filename=designer-01_1.pdf |archivedate=21 February 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/2005-walkley-winners-20051202-gdmk4e.html|title=2005 Walkley winners|date=2005-12-02|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref> *2006 – News Ltd's News Award for Features Journalist of the Year<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsawards.com.au/06-winners |title=News Awards |accessdate=2010-10-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218134517/http://www.newsawards.com.au/06-winners |archivedate=18 February 2011 }}</ref> *2012 – Kennedy Award for Newspaper Feature Writing for a story about false allegations of sexual assault made against rugby league player Brett Stewart<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://images.smh.com.au/file/2012/08/10/3545469/Kennedyawards.pdf/|title=Kennedy Awards media release|access-date=2020-09-01}}</ref>

==Books== * ''Granny Killer: The story of John Glover'', Mark Whittaker and Les Kennedy (Sydney, Collins/Angus & Robertson 1992) {{ISBN|0-207-17766-X}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2092252|title=Granny killer: the story of John Glover|first1=Les|last1=Kennedy|first2=Mark|last2=Whittaker|date=2 January 1992|publisher=Collins/Angus & Robertson|via=National Library of Australia (new catalog)}}</ref> * ''Sins of the Brother: The definitive story of Ivan Milat and the Backpacker Murders'', Mark Whittaker and Les Kennedy (Sydney, Macmillan 1998) {{ISBN|0-7329-0968-6}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/510516|title=Sins of the brother: the definitive story of Ivan Milat and the backpacker murders|first1=Mark|last1=Whittaker|first2=Les|last2=Kennedy|date=2 January 1998|publisher=Macmillan|via=National Library of Australia (new catalog)}}</ref> * ''The Road to Mount Buggery: A journey through the curiously named places of Australia'', Mark Whittaker and Amy Willesee (Sydney, Pan Macmillan 2001) {{ISBN|0-7329-1111-7}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2677351|title=The road to Mount Buggery: a journey through the curiously named places of Australia|first1=Mark|last1=Whittaker|first2=Amy|last2=Willesee|date=2 January 2001|publisher=Pan Macmillan|via=National Library of Australia (new catalog)}}</ref> * ''Walking to Victory'', Adam Gilchrist with Mark Whittaker (Sydney, Macmillan 2003 {{ISBN|0-7329-1138-9}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1085803|title=Walking to victory: a personal story of the Ashes and World Cup campaigns, 2002-03|first1=Adam|last1=Gilchrist|first2=Mark|last2=Whittaker|date=2 January 2003|publisher=Macmillan|via=National Library of Australia (new catalog)}}</ref> * ''Love & Death in Kathmandu: A strange tale of royal murder'', Mark Whittaker and Amy Willesee (Sydney, Macmillan 2003) {{ISBN|0-7329-1177-X}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/945221|title=Love & death in Kathmandu: a strange tale of royal murder|first1=Amy|last1=Willesee|first2=Mark|last2=Whittaker|date=2 January 2003|publisher=Macmillan|via=National Library of Australia (new catalog)}}</ref> * ''Ten Years'', Roseanne Catt with Mark Whittaker and Amy Willesee (Sydney, Pan Macmillan Australia 2005) {{ISBN|0-7329-1190-7}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3308937|title=Ten years|first1=Roseanne|last1=Catt|first2=Mark|last2=Whittaker|first3=Amy|last3=Willesee|date=2 January 2005|publisher=Pan Macmillan Australia|via=National Library of Australia (new catalog)}}</ref> * ''Bomber: From Vietnam to hell and back'', Mark Whittaker and Tony Bower-Miles (Sydney, Pan Macmillan Australia 2009) {{ISBN|978-1-4050-3935-2}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4614708|title=Bomber: from Vietnam to hell and back|first1=Tony|last1=Bower-Miles|first2=Mark|last2=Whittaker|date=2 January 2009|publisher=Macmillan|via=National Library of Australia (new catalog)}}</ref> * ''Brave: Ordinary Australians and their extraordinary acts of courage'', Mark Whittaker (Sydney, Pan Macmillan Australia 2011) {{ISBN|978-1-4050-3987-1}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/5153663|title=Brave|first=Mark|last=Whittaker|date=2 January 2011|publisher=Macmillan|via=National Library of Australia (new catalog)}}</ref> * ''Village Vets'', Anthony Bennett & James Carroll with Mark Whittaker (Sydney, ABC Books 2015) {{ISBN|9780733335839}}<ref>{{cite web | title=Village vets / Anthony Bennett & James Carroll with Mark Whittaker | website=National Library of Australia | date=2022-12-25 | url=http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/7048037 | access-date=2023-01-02}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittaker, Mark}} Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:People educated at Newington College Category:Australian journalists Category:Australian non-fiction crime writers Category:Australian crime podcasters