Don Battye, Australian composer and television producer, Died at 77

  Dead Famous

Donald “Don” Battye was born on September 29, 1938, and died on February 2016.

He was an Australian composer, writer and television producer.

He was best known for his work with Crawford Productions and Reg Grundy Organisation (known then as Reg Grundy Productions).

He was a writer, script editor, and producer on several Australian television series for Crawford Productions including soap opera The Box in 1976 and 1977, The Sullivans and police procedural drama series Division 4, Bluey (1976) and Homicide.

Himself and Peter Pinne had written the children’s musicals which premiered at the Alexander Theatre, Monash University, from 1973 to 1980.

And also the adults musical 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.

Donald 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 (1981), for which he also wrote over 100 episodes, Sons and Daughters for which he also wrote over 150 episodes (1982),[2] Waterloo Station (1983), Possession (1985) and Neighbours (also 1985).

He was Executive Producer of Neighbours from 1988–1992 and wrote for the programme until the year 2000.

Don Battye co-composed the famous theme song to Sons and Daughters with Peter Pinne, plus two songs for inclusion in Neighbours.

Don produced and composed music from the Philippines where he resided.

Mr.Battye wrote a memoir which encompassed his life from being a childhood actor to a senior television executive.

Don Battye and Brian Kavanagh wrote the screenplay City’s Child.

Don Battye passed away at 77 yrs old.