Kenneth Cook
| Kenneth Cook | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Kenneth Bernard Cook 5 May 1929 Lakemba, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 18 April 1987 (aged 57) Narromine, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | film-maker, journalist and novelist |
| Known for | Wake in Fright, Eliza Fraser |
Kenneth Bernard Cook (5 May 1929 – 18 April 1987) was an Australian journalist, television documentary maker, and novelist best known for his works Wake in Fright, which is still in print five decades after its first publication, and the humorous Killer Koala trilogy.
Born in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba, Cook attended Fort Street High School. After leaving school he worked around Australia in a variety of jobs including laboratory technician, journalist and television documentary-maker, and boatshed operator.
In 1966, with businessman Gordon Barton, Cook founded a new political party, the Liberal Reform Group. Cook was vehemently opposed to the Vietnam War, and stood (unsuccessfully) as an LRG candidate for the seat of Parramatta in the 1966 federal election.
A keen amateur lepidopterist, Cook established the first butterfly farm in Australia on the banks of Sydney's Hawkesbury River in the 1970s.
Several of Cook's novels were adapted for the screen. Wake in Fright was filmed in 1971 by Ted Kotcheff, starring Donald Pleasence and Gary Bond (released under the title Outback in Europe and the US). was filmed by Ross McGregor and Hans Pomeranz, also in 1971. In 1976 The Bushranger was made into a telemovie, starring Leonard Teale, John Hamblin and Kate Fitzpatrick.
Cook also wrote one episode of the Australian TV children's adventure series The Rovers (1970).
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