Screenwriter, playwright and novelist Peter Yeldham has died aged 95.
Having begun writing short stories and radio scripts at age 17, Yeldham went on to enjoy a 60-year career across screen, stage, and print.
According to his family, the veteran writer died in his sleep last week.
In an obituary for the Australian Writers Guild (AWG), producer and writer Roger Simpson described Yeldham as a “writer’s writer”.
“A towering figure in radio, stage, film, and television, he began writing 2GB radio scripts while still in his teens and completed his thirteenth novel at the age of 88,” he wrote.
“He should have gone on forever.”
Born in Gladstone, NSW, Yeldham started his career in radio before travelling to England in 1956 with his wife Marge, and establishing himself as a screenwriter with films such as The Comedy Man, The Liquidator, Twenty Four Hours to Kill, Ten Little Indians, and The Age of Consent. He also completed television plays and episodes, as well as works for the stage, one of which was Birds on the Wing, Europe’s top-grossing play for 1972.
After returning to Australia in 1976, Yeldham became a prolific writer of mini-series, churning out 22 in around 25 years. His work included adaptations of Kylie Tennant’s Ride on Stranger, Eleanor Dark’s The Timeless Land, Nancy Cato’s All the Rivers Run, and Bryce Courtenay’s Jessica, as well as original titles such as Captain James Cook, 1915, Naked Under Capricorn and Run from the Morning.
He continued to showcase his talent across multiple platforms, publishing his first novel The Currency Lads in 1988.
In paying tribute to Yeldham, Simpson noted the contribution the veteran writer made to the AWG and industry causes.
“Softly spoken and elfin, he was a stalwart of the guild, proving battles are not only won at the barricades but likewise with impeccable manners,” he wrote.
“Lower the volume and they may very well hear you more clearly.
“Preferring the velvet glove to the cosh, Peter was the perfect foil to [John Dingwall] and me as we forced through those early industrial agreements.
“Stop-works against Crawford’s, Channel 10, and the ABC, and marches in the street for Australian content quotas on television – the 70’s and 80’s were formative times for Australian writing and formative times for the guild.”
Yeldham is survived by his children Lyn and Perry, and their families.