By Trisha Heath
Published by The Monaro Post
An Australian household name, a face which has been on many TV screen's across the nation, journalist, ABC radio host and former foreign correspondent, Hamish McDonald, reflects on growing up in Jindabyne.
Moving to Jindabyne in the mid-late 70s, Hamish’s parents welcomed baby Hamish in 1981 and lived in the mountain town until he left for university to pursue a career in journalism.
Hamish said growing up in Jindabyne had a profound impact on him.
“I think anyone who grows up in the Snowy Mountains has some sense of its obvious beauty, but it’s also a wonderful, tight-knit community,” Hamish said.
“You feel a great sense of safety and belonging from growing up in the Snowies. It’s also a very dynamic and diverse community. It’s quite different, I think, to other small towns or regional communities because there’s such a broad range of people that end up here.”
Hamish said the extensive history of the town drove his passion for journalism and his drive to learn more shaped his career into what it is today, an award-winning journalist.
“I think in many ways I was shaped by growing up in Jindabyne in terms of my chosen career path. I always had a very powerful awareness growing up in the mountains that there was a big wide world out there,” Hamish said.
“You heard so many different accents and languages growing up in Jindabyne, whether it was people that had come as part of the snowy scheme, or ski instructors or tourists from other parts of the world.
“I’ve always had a very strong awareness of a much bigger, wider world outside. And for me, a way to explore that and experience that was through journalism.”
Hamish said he always enjoyed learning about people’s different backgrounds and found that very exciting and fascinating. Aside from his connection and interest in people, Jindabyne also provided Hamish with a love of nature.
“Growing up in Jindabyne, you become very attached to the mountains, the lake, rivers, the animals and the bushlands. Breathing in the fresh crisp air, surrounded by the smells of the great outdoors and the feeling that you have when you’re walking out amongst the snow gums is quite profound and I certainly think for me that shaped me in really positive ways,” Hamish said.
Hamish developed a strong sense of curiosity in part because of the history of Jindabyne.
“The flooding of the old Jindabyne, it was an evocative story to learn and think about as a kid,” Hamish said.
“The idea that underneath the lake, there were these stories and this history that lay there. I think from a very early age that piqued my curiosity and has probably played some role in the curiosity that I have as a journalist and always looking to understand and interpret those stories.”
Hamish said growing up in Jindabyne he made many good friends, some who were just passing through and others that have remained life-long friends. It was also a great meeting place, with family often visiting from Sydney and elsewhere.
“Growing up around the ski industry was very exciting and I made a lot of friends through that, and in the warmer months I learnt a lot of skills being out in the bush,” Hamish said.
“I was involved with the cub scouts, did a lot of camping, did a lot of bushwalking in the summer, went berry picking, and learnt about all the beautiful corners of the region from the south coast up to the mountains.
“Even today, it’s hard for me to imagine a more beautiful part of the world and have always felt very lucky to have grown up there.”
His family has since moved to Sydney, but many friends and connections to the town and region remain.
Hamish said he goes back to Jindabyne often and does a lot of camping and hiking in the national park.
“I love to take friends down for some of the hikes, I still feel very engaged, still feel very at home in Jindabyne,” Hamish said.
“Every time I round the bend above East Jindabyne driving down from Sydney, I put the windows down and smell the mountain air and see the lake and the mountains and just take it all in. I think that’s one of the best feelings in the world.
“It’s an important thing for me. I’ve travelled a lot for my career to some dangerous and difficult places and just always look forward to coming back and that moment of seeing the lake and the mountains and taking in the mountain air, I guess that, for me, is how I know that I’m home.”