Patricia Edgar

Patricia May Edgar AM is an Australian author, television producer, educator and media scholar, best known as the founding director of the Australian Children's Television Foundation.

Early life and education Edgar was born in Mildura, Victoria, and moved to California in the 1960s with her husband, author and social researcher Don Edgar, and their two children to study for an MA in Communication at Stanford University. On their return to Australia, Edgar joined the staff of La Trobe University as the inaugural Head of the Centre for the Study of Media and Communication.

She has a BA and a BEd from the University of Melbourne, a Master of Arts from Stanford University, and a PhD from La Trobe University.

Career Edgar served on several government committees, such as the Australian Broadcasting Control Board which she was appointed to by Gough Whitlam's government in 1975. Whilst part of this committee she was instrumental in formulating codes for children's television for the first time. She was also involved in the Australian National Commission of UNESCO, Film Victoria, the Council of the Australian Film and Television School, the Victorian Government's Board of CIRCIT Ltd (Centre for International Research on Communication and Information Technologies) and the Victorian Post-Secondary Education Commission. Edgar also served as an Associate Member of the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal's Inquiry into Violence on Television from 1988 to 1989.

Egar was deputy chair of the Australian Film Finance Corporation between 1988 and 1995. She also chaired the ACMI Foundation from 2004 to 2006, and is the founding chair of the Breast Cancer Network of Australia, of which she served as chair from 1998 to 2009. Over twenty years, the ACTF produced 174 hours of television drama and won more than 100 national and international awards including an International Emmy, two Logies, four AFI Awards, a Japan Prize, a Banff Rockie Award, the Prix Jeunesse and a Grand Jury Prize. The ACTF also made co-productions with the BBC, Disney, and Revcom. While she was director of the ACTF she produced a number of acclaimed children's television programs for all ages, which included Round the Twist, Lift Off, The Genie from Down Under, Touch the Sun, Winners, Kaboodle, Crash Zone, Li'l Elvis and the Truckstoppers, Noah and Saskia, Yolngu Boy, and Kahootz. +TitleYearCrewProductionGot At 1988-891988Executive ProducerTV programRound the Twist Series 1-4, 1989-20011989Executive Producer, ProducerTV programSky Trackers 1996-20021996Executive Producer, ProducerTV programCrash Zone

Recognition and honours

In 1994 the University of Western Australia awarded her an honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon DLitt). In May of 2018, LaTrobe University awarded her a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa).