Who was Mac Gudgeon? Australian Screenwriter and Former AWG President Dead at 74

Australian screenwriter, Mac Gudgeon who was also the former President of the Australian Writers’ Guild, has been reported dead. He died after a prolonged illness on Monday, May 29, 2023, at age 74.

He was known for being the co-writer of Ground Zero, an action thriller film. He wrote Channel 9’s series Halifax from 1994 to 2000. He was credited for writing ABC’s Indigenous-themed miniseries, The Secret River, released in 2015. The series stars popular actress, Sarah Snook.

Gudgeon served as the President of the Australian Writers’ Guild (AWG) from 1998 to 2000.

The current President of the association, Shane Brennan shared a heartfelt message after Gudgeon’s death was announced.

“Mac was a towering presence in the Guild. He was not just our heart and soul, he was our conscience, that little voice in our head that said, ‘We have to fight this.’ And fight we did, so many battles with Mac standing, unflinching, on the front line. Mac didn’t just man the barricades, he built them. His contribution to this Guild, to the place we earned at the table, to the concessions we won over decades, should never be forgotten. And yes, Mac was a helluva writer,” he wrote.