Andrew Rule

The Herald Sun

“They’re the best stories to write … it’s like big wave surfing; it’s the big stuff.”

Andrew Rule’s passions are sport and crime and today he writes about both for the Herald Sun, as well as writing books and podcasting. But it was when he was on The Age earlier in his career that he wrote two award-winning investigative stories that continue to have an impact on the key characters today. Among his many honours, Rule was twice awarded the prestigious Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year.

Career Timeline

1975: Starts work in newspapers at the Gippsland Times (in Sale, eastern Victoria) as a cadet reporter, aged 17. Leaves after one year to take an Arts degree at Monash University, Melbourne.

1979: Offered jobs at both the Herald & Weekly Times and The Age. Rule goes to The Age as a 'graduate cadet' because its offer was first and made in writing.

1983: After working several areas, but mostly in sport, Rule becomes The Age’s chief police reporter as a B-grade journalist.

1984: He is recruited as an A-grade feature writer by The Herald as part of attempt by HWT to save the ailing afternoon daily.

1988: Self-publishes ‘Cuckoo’, a study of the Madill-Heywood double murder dubbed the 'Mr Stinky' case. The book takes 10 weeks full-time writing and 18 months part-time research. It is a best-seller in Victoria and, in several reprints and reincarnations, stays in print for more than 20 years.

1989: Rule leaves The Herald to work for a year as a television documentary producer with Terry Carlyon and Iain Gillespie, under contract to Channel 10.

1990: Returns to HWT as sub-editor and 'rewrite man'. Rule works on all three mastheads but mostly The Sun news desk before the amalgamation of the two dailies to become the Herald Sun. With John Silvester he edits and publishes the first of a series of books by Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read, eventually leading to a critically-acclaimed feature film establishing Read as a criminal cultural phenomenon as well known as Ned Kelly and Squizzy Taylor. He writes a dramatised biography of former world champion boxer Lionel Rose to accompany a television drama series ‘Rose Against The Odds’.

Early 1992: Becomes senior producer of 3AW breakfast show (Ross Stevenson and Dean Banks), which coincidentally goes to number one in ratings and stays there.

Late 1994: Leaves 3AW (after three years) to join The Sunday Age as senior feature writer at large.

1995-1997: Rule covers big events such as the Pope's tour of Australia, President Clinton's visit, the Port Arthur massacre. He writes on any subject, including some racing, but specialises in investigative and crime-related stories. Meanwhile, he collaborates with John Silvester to produce ‘Chopper’ books and the first of many crime story collections under the series title ‘Underbelly’.

1996: The Age publishes the award-winning investigation, ‘Jennifer Tanner – how did she really die?’

1998: The Sunday Age staff transferred to daily Age roster as part of cost-cutting measures affecting newspapers around the world. Rule is awarded the Melbourne Press Club’s Gold Quill award.

2001: The Age publishes the award-winning investigation, ‘Geoff Clark: power and rape’. Rule wins the Melbourne Press Club’s Gold Quill award, the Gold Walkley and is named Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year.

2003: Rule is appointed roving feature writer for Good Weekendmagazine, published in Sydney and Melbourne.

2007: Appointed deputy editor of The Sunday Age in its reincarnation as a separate title in the Fairfax stable.

2011: Rule is recruited as associate editor by the Herald Sun to concentrate on columns, features and colour writing across all subjects, but predominantly on crime and law enforcement.

Awards

1995: Melbourne Press Club Quill award for best sports article.
1996: Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year.
1998: Tattersall’s Gold Quill Melbourne Press Club, Quill for best news/magazine feature.
1999: RACV Transport Quill (with Sushi Das).
2001: Gold Walkley and Walkley for investigative reporting; Melbourne Press Club Tattersalls’ Gold Quill award, Quill for best investigative report in any medium, Graham Perkin Australian Journalist of the Year. TV Week Logie Award for A Death in the Family (with Terry Carlyon).
2004: Melbourne Press Club Quill award for best sports story in any medium.
2018: Harry Gordon Australian sports journalist of the year.

Books

1988: ‘Cuckoo: the true story of the Madill-Heywood murders’. Floradale Press.
1991: ‘Rose Against The Odds’.
1992: ‘Chopper from the inside’ (co-wrote and published) beginning a series of 11 books over several years.
1998: ‘Underbelly’ (beginning series of 16 titles over 16 years).
2014/2015: ‘Kerry Stokes: The Boy from Nowhere. Biography of billionaire businessman’. Harper-Collins. (Two editions).
2018/2019: ‘Winx: The Authorised Biography’. Allen & Unwin (Two editions).