He began his working life as a film technician, a salesman and in public relations for Qantas before taking up writing full-time.

The film technicians behind primitive movie cameras found that the south shore, with its southern exposure, offered perfect conditions for filming.

One reason was the greater availability of film technicians.

And no one can become a total filmmaker without being a film technician, without being capable of handling the production.

In 1962 he represented the Boulting Brothers, who were in dispute with the film technicians' union.

But Milton Gorland, a retired film technician, said the library would raise local property values.

During the launch in April 2009, other film technicians were revealed.

He was killed, along with two Turkish film technicians, when the car in which he was travelling went off the road into a ravine.

"It's fascinating to see them show their cards," said Bill Gabel, a film technician who sat at the bar.