H.A. Willis is an Australian essayist, critic and editor. Born in November 1948 at Colac, Victoria, he grew up in that state and subsequently lived in Darwin, Auckland and rural Tasmania before settling with his wife and their two young sons in Perth in late 1981. As a student at LaTrobe University he was one of the group who, in October 1967, wrote and produced the first issue of Cinema Papers, edited by Philippe Mora. In 1976 he wrote Cinema Paper?s first in-depth account of the New Zealand film industry. As a student at the University of Auckland, he was a founding member of Alternative Cinema, the Auckland Film-makers? Cooperative, established in 1972. He contributed articles to and edited several early issues of that group?s journal, Alternative Cinema. While in New Zealand he produced a short television documentary and a book, Manhunt, about the twelve-day manhunt for the mass-killer, Stanley Graham. The feature film Bad Blood, based on his book, starred Jack Thompson and Carol Burns. In 2012 Willis returned to Hokitika, where Graham is buried. His account of his trip to Westland and the Graham story was published in the Travel section of The West Australian newspaper. [More at Wikipedia]

January 1st, 1948 in (Age 76)