"I was always scrupulous about it and whenever Bazz was on the phone to Hawke or anyone else, I'd leave the room. "The Melbourne bureau's coverage of that horrific tragedy was extraordinary in its sustained story-telling under extremely difficult circumstances, and in its reflected humanity," says O'Brien. It was an early test of her tenaciousness, something every good journalist needs, and Ewart never doubted she could make it in a 'man's world'. "Eight years later I was stopped in the main street of my local town in northern NSW by a couple who had survived the devastation.They just wanted to tell me how much they appreciated the program's coverage through those days and singled out Heather for her sensitivity and kindness. "And there were a lot of men working there who saw young women as fair game — you knew not to go to some politicians' offices on your own, particularly after they'd had a few whiskeys. "The oratory was more impressive, there were better speeches, fewer Dorothy Dixers and the pollies all got on a lot better, they actually cared about each other — politicians from all sides mixed with staffers and journalists in the Non-Members Bar — and Andrew Peacock [Liberal] and Gerry Hand [Labor] were great mates because of their shared love of horse racing. "Politicians don't trust journalists, they always think you are out to get them so it's actually really nice to go into a town to see people who are so pleased to see you and want to welcome you into their lives, they stay in touch after we leave and it's something I've never had before and that's special. Salona is one of the last of the old-school Greek family-run restaurants in the area, a link to Richmond's past that Ewart loves. This is Me - Control Profile. "She's perfect for the show, so at ease and genuinely interested because she's a bush girl." "I think there were higher standards in those days. Ewart loves a beer (and a chat) — "my dad used to say drink beer and you'll always be in a shout" — so that didn't bother her, but the double standards did.While there were male managers and colleagues who were supportive and encouraging, Ewart recalls being infuriated in the early years of her career by the sexist and paternalistic attitudes of others.One warned her to be "careful not to get pregnant" when visiting the ABC office in Sydney's Kings Cross, another sent her home to change into a "frock" he deemed more appropriate attire, while others questioned whether a female voice was strong enough to report on federal politics or if women could cope covering wars as a foreign correspondent.Old Parliament House in Canberra, though, was blokey HQ. "He had friends who were newspaper journalists in Melbourne who all said to him journalism was no job for a woman.
"And I just got on with my job, doing it the best I could, but it did make me wild that there was this bullshit that blokes didn't have to put up with," she says. "That was life as a foreign correspondent and I loved it. View Photos. "ABC Regional offices do a great job of this but there wasn't much happening at a national level and I think we've tapped into something. "I think the bush gets a bad rap — we see so much negativity, the perception is of whingeing farmers talking about drought and ice epidemics. "One of the earliest big stories I covered was the so-called 'colour TV affair' in 1982, in which minister Michael MacKellar failed to declare to Customs that he'd bought a colour TV overseas, and Fraser sacked him and the Minister for Customs John Moore over it.
"I'd cover council meetings and it's where I became interested in politics. "When I arrived in Canberra in 1980, there were hardly any women in the Press Gallery," Ewart recalls.