Autobiography – Richard Zachariah

Richard Zachariah, who Adelaide Hills residents are getting to know as the Treechanger because of his writings in a local magazine , The Adelaide Hills Magazine, is a journalist and broadcaster of 45 years experience. Beginning at The Age, Melbourne, in 1964 he has worked in newspapers, radio and television in Australia and London.

Zachariah is the author of the best selling 1999 memoir ‘Zachariah’ and co-hosted the ground breaking, top rating ABCTV Home Show with his then partner Maggie Tabberer (1990/93). Prior to that, in 1988 he co-anchored Seven National News in Sydney and previously compered the national current affairs program 11 AM. He was guest compere on radio 2UE and panellist on 2SM.

Zachariah has written columns for News Ltd publications, The Sunday Telegraph and The Australian on general subjects and sporting passions, racing and AFL for the past 15 years and contributed feature articles for Friday, the Fairfax Rural Press magazine published Australia wide.

Zachariah was also heard regularly as a guest on ABC Radio 702 morning show with Virginia Trioli.

Zachariah has lived 20 years in rural Australia and has a special lifelong affinity with the bush after attending Hamilton College in the wool boom years between 1952/59.He finished his education at Brighton Grammar School in Melbourne where his father, Harry Zachariah, was a famous 50 year mentor and deputy headmaster.

After returning from London in 1970 where he worked with BBC TV covering the Irish troubles for the mass audience Nationwide, Zachariah satisfied his dream of being a farmer, running a beef/dairying operation outside Maffra in East Gippsland. He continued in that role until leaving for Sydney in 1985.

Later he operated hobby farms in the McDonald Valley and at Mittagong, Southern Highlands with Ms Tabberer where he bred cattle and thoroughbred horses, including owning the dam of Group One winner Mr Innocent.

While in Gippsland, Zachariah won a Penguin Award as best country broadcaster while anchoring the GLV10 news between 1981/85 and for seven years broadcast AFL on radio 3TR.

From 2004 Zachariah lived in Sydney with partner Sarah Hyde and stepdaughter Mimi, 11 before buying Annandale, a 15 hectare vineyard and horse breeding property near Woodside in the Adelaide Hills in May, 2008.

Zachariah and Hyde and daughter Mimi live at Annandale where they wrestle with the daily problems of living in heaven!