For most journalists winning the industry's most prestigious prize comes at the height of their career. For Hedley Thomas, it marked the end of his time in the media. He talks to SBS Online about why he left, and more importantly, what made him return to the industry.
Hedley Thomas won the Gold Walkley in 2007 for his series of stories which exposed mistakes in the arrest and treatment of terror suspect, Brisbane doctor Mohamed Haneef.
Unexpectedly, the 43 year old decided to quit his job as The Australian's investigative journalist the following year.
While he admits his decision to quit at the top of the game was “unusual and unorthodox thing to do”, he doesn't regret the decision.
With five Walkleys and the prestigious Gold tucked under his arm, Thomas decided that he'd achieved “more than he ever could” in journalism, and the Gold was the pinnacle that he wanted to end on.
From the moment he'd seen reports on Dr Haneef's case, Thomas felt the urge to investigate the facts.
“The case was a witch hunt from very early on… there was more to it” he says.
His instincts served him right, and after a series of investigations, Thomas uncovered several mistakes made in Dr Haneef's case by both the Australian Federal Police and the Howard Government.
“It stood out because the stories that I was writing were opposite to what the media was writing and what the government was saying was the truth” he says.
While he was sure in 2008 that it was time to quit, Thomas has since returned to journalism, saying he missed the craft.
“I reviewed my reasons (for leaving) and came to the conclusion that your instincts as a journalist don't change and contacts improve with experience and age”.
These days he's also on the panel of judges involved in the process of picking the next Gold winner.
“The winner is a very well kept secret, maybe the best secret that journalists learn to keep”, he says.
And there's a lesson in winning that he thinks others should take on board.
“You can't let winning get to your head and you have to stay down to earth” he says. “Every year there will be a Gold Walkley winner and 8 or 10 who could have been as well”.
