Donald Gordon Battye (29 September 1938 – 28 February 2016) was an Australian composer, writer and television producer, best known for his work with

Crawford Productions Crawford Productions is an Australian media production company, focused on radio and television production. Founded in Melbourne by Hector Crawford and his sister, actress and voice artist Dorothy Crawford, the company, also known as Crawfords ...

and

Reg Grundy Organisation Reg Grundy Organisation (founded as Reg Grundy Enterprises, later known as both Reg Grundy Productions and Grundy Television and known informally as Grundy's) was an Australian-based multinational mass media company, primarily involved in tele ...

(known then as Reg Grundy Productions).

Biography and career

Battye worked on several Crawford Productions television serials as a writer, script editor, and producer including soap opera '' The Box'' in 1976 and 1977, ''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-clas ...

'' and

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...

drama series ''Division 4'', '' Bluey'' (1976) and ''

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

''. Battye and business partner

Peter Pinne Peter Norman Pinne (born 27 May 1937) is an Australian-born former television executive, writer and composer who has worked frequently in America and Great Britain. Career Pinne started working for the television production company, the Reg ...

wrote children's musicals which premiered at the Alexander Theatre,

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, from 1973 to 1980. as well as the adult musicals ''All Saints' Day'', ''Don't Tell Helena'', ''A Bunch of Ratbags'', ''It Happened in Tanjablanca'', ''Red White * Boogie'', ''Sweet Fanny Adams'', '' Caroline'', ''The Computer'' and ''Love Travelling Salesman'' (2 folk operas) and '' Prisoner Cell Block H, the Musical''. He later worked for Reg Grundy Productions, (later changed to the Grundy Organization) as Senior Vice President Drama Development which in that capacity made him producer and executive producer on such programmes as the action series '' Chopper Squad'', which first took him to join the company, police procedural drama series '' Bellamy'' (1981) and soap operas, ''

The Restless Years ''The Restless Years'' is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and the drama and relationships faced by young adults. It was created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for N ...

'' (1981), for which he also wrote over 100 episodes, '' Sons and Daughters'' for which he also wrote over 150 episodes (1982), ''

Waterloo Station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...

'' (1983), ''

Possession Possession may refer to: Law * Dependent territory, an area of land over which another country exercises sovereignty, but which does not have the full right of participation in that country's governance * Drug possession, a crime * Ownership * ...

'' (1985) and ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'' (also 1985). Battye was Executive Producer of ''Neighbours'' from 1988–1992 and wrote for the program until the year 2000. Battye co-composed the famous theme song to ''Sons and Daughters'' with Pinne, plus two songs for inclusion in ''Neighbours''. He produced and composed music from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

where he had resided since 1998. He wrote a memoir which encompassed his life from being a child actor to a senior television executive. He and Brian Kavanagh wrote the screenplay ''

A City's Child ''A City's Child'' is a 1972 Australian film directed by Brian Kavanagh. Plot A spinster whose invalid mother dies starts drifting into a fantasy world. She starts collecting Barbie dolls and meets a young man who may or may not be real. The two ...

''.

Death

Battye died on 28 February in

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...

. Rick Maier, the Head of Drama at Network Ten, and

Jason Herbison Jason Herbison (born 1972) is an Australian television producer, screenwriter and novelist, most recently serving as the executive producer of the soap opera ''Neighbours''. He has written scripts for numerous television serials, and has publis ...

, the series producer of ''Neighbours'', paid tribute to Battye. Maier commented, "It is with great sadness we note the passing of our friend Don Battye. A prolific producer and writer, Don was highly respected throughout the industry, both for his work with Crawford Productions and Grundy Television. As Executive Producer of ''Neighbours'' (1988 to 1992) and many other popular shows for Ten, he may well have launched a thousand careers. Generous with his time and his knowledge, Don will always remain one of the best." Herbison called him "a true legend in the Australian television industry." An In Memoriam card was displayed at the end of the credits for "Episode 7311" of ''Neighbours'', acknowledging Battye's death and work on the show.

Books

* (Adapted from the novel by William Dick) * *

References

External links

*
"DON BATTYE", ''doollee''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battye, Don 1938 births 2016 deaths Australian soap opera writers Soap opera producers Australian male television writers