Arthur Higgins By Debra Mar Photos: Yanni
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here have been many changes in TV and radio in the six decades when he started work as an office boy. He has since retired as one of the memorable voices and characters in the media industry. Debra Mar tracked the man who lives a relaxing lifestyle away from cameras, mikes and makeup and asked, “Was the ride worth it?”
You could say Arthur’s story is somewhat clichéd alongside other legend’s stories where life starts on the bottom rung but there aren’t too many who do it with honesty and integrity like Arthur.
Referred to as ‘The Big Daddy’ of radio & TV, announcer, broadcaster and sports presenter Arthur Higgins now prefers to spend time with his 14 year old white and brown Maltese x Shih Tzu “Lily” and close friends over a glass of good red. Even though I’d only seen Arthur on TV news and vaguely remembered him on radio, I felt that I knew this altruistic, decorous, cheerful bloke.
As early as he can remember the noise of air raid sirens were commonplace during his childhood. Nazi planes flew overhead wanting to bomb the huge gasworks in Chester where the family lived. “I didn’t see my father much in the first six years of my life because he was sent to the Shetland Islands with the British Army,” Arthur said.
Known as ‘Artie’ to his friends, he has retired to the Mornington Peninsula maintaining that unmistakable rich timbre-trained voice with low-pitched baritone notes that doesn’t exist in radio or television these days.
“As a child I listened to a UK ‘pirate radio’ station that played commercials, not like the BBC which was totally boring. They played good music,” he said. “Then the family moved to Australia.”
Conceived in India and born in northern England to British parents who were raised aristocratically in India, Arthur was the eldest of three brothers.
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Summer 2015/2016
E ssence | 71
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