Trivia

His play "Remember Ronald Ryan" won the 1995 Victorian Premier's Literary Award.

His most well-known work is the award-winning stage play Remember Ronald Ryan, a dramatization of the life and death of Ronald Ryan, the last man executed in Australia.

His experiences in the classroom served as the basis for his 2013 memoirs "Lessons in Humility: 40 Years of Teaching".

Left school early and worked for five years in a factory in North Melbourne, Australia.

Prolific Australian author, artist, actor, educator and journalist, probably best known for his historical dramas and his reminiscences about growing up and living in working class Melbourne, Australia.

In 2015 he became a Writer-in-Residence and Creative Writing lecturer at Victoria University in Footscray, Melbourne. He held the position for less than 12 months, before being unexpectedly let go by the campus coordinators during the Christmas break.

Primarily wrote for Australia's independent theatre scene, frequently collaborating with La Mama Theatre, Malthouse Theatre, The Pram Factory, Griffin Theatre Company, fortyfivedownstairs and St Martin Youth Theatre.

Has a son, Louis Dickins.

Had a long career as an educator, spending 41 years teaching English and creative writing at various schools in Melbourne (including Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar and West Preston Primary School).

Has written over 50 plays, along with numerous short stories, biographies, opinion pieces, essays and children's books.

In 2009 he published his memoirs "Unparalleled Sorrow" which discusses his career and his battle with depression.

Was a set-painter for television programs being produced at Australia's Channel 7.

Wrote dramas and comedies about controversial figures such as poet Sylvia Plath, opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland, criminal Squizzy Taylor, actor Frank Thring, playwright Oscar Wilde and artist Brett Whiteley.

2015 saw the publication by Black Pepper publishing of "A Line Drawing of My Father", a memoir of the author's father Len Dickins, who served in the Second World War and was a commercial printer thereafter. It also gives a portrait of the working class northern suburbs of Melbourne.