Draft:Mitchell Faircloth

Australian comedian and artist 1980s From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mitchell Seaton Faircloth (5 September 1953 - 30 April 2022) was an Australian performer and comedian, musician and visual artist.

  • Comment: Wikipedia articles are based on what reliable independent sources have reported but I'm not seeing any here? You have not shown how Faircloth meets WP:GNG? "property of the Estate of M Faircloth" is not a useable source neither is Facebook or YouTube. Theroadislong (talk) 08:45, 8 March 2026 (UTC)
Mitchell Faircloth, as Slim Whittle, c. 2010.

His creative projects include contributions to the performing arts and comedy industry as Slim Whittle (aka $lim) of The Whittle Family (1977 – early 1980s..[1]), and his work as a filmmaker (Buckeye and Pinto and Terror Lostralis, 1980). He was a radio personality (Punter to Punter on 3RRR, c 1979 – 1995) whose programs gathered audiences across a wide demographic, from Melbourne's 3RRR listeners to the Australian horse racing industry. As a visual artist, he created humorous and topical cartoons published weekly by The Winning Post tipster newspaper and social media (from 2002 until his death in 2022). He lived most of his life in Melbourne and was familiar with the suburbs of Laverton, Fitzroy, St Kilda, Prahran, and McKinnon.

In 2008, Faircloth described himself as “HEIGHT – 183cm. WEIGHT – 96kg. EYES - Blue. HAIR – Brown. with Grey Temples and Bald on Top. Big strapping fellow. Fit as a Mallee Bull, despite age” and his skill set as “Comedian, singer, musician, songwriter, scriptwriter, journalist, artist, cartoonist, bus driver, eco-tour guide, fruit picker, farm manager, house painter, builder’s labourer, raconteur and yes, an ACTOR[2].”[3]

Family History

Born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Faircloth was a son of RAAF flight-sergeant Jim Faircloth and farm girl /nurse Margaret Faircloth neé McKenzie (of Wagga Wagga). Faircloth was the second child in a family of five, his siblings include Janette, Douglas, Libby and Georgie.

The family moved from Wagga to Laverton Airbase, Victoria, in 1960, where as a child Faircloth was an Air Scout and Patrol Leader. He attended Werribee High School and Croydon High School, and Phillip Institute of Technology, 1977.

Education

At Phillip Institute, Faircloth was awarded an Honours Degree in Creative Writing[4], studied film under Bert Deling (Dalmus, Pure Shit), and made two films: Terror Lostralis (1980) and Buckeye and Pinto (1980)[5] which were both nominated for 1980 AFI film awards for Best Short Fiction Film. Buckeye and Pinto received an additional nomination for a Kodak Cinematography Medallion for cinematographer Martinetti’s ‘Creative and innovative use of camera’. Both films had long running seasons opening at the Valhalla Cinemas in Melbourne, and screening in Adelaide and Sydney.[6]

The Whittle Family

Living in Croydon, Faircloth established friendships with like-minded people which led to establishment of the cabaret and live theatre, cabaret / pub-rock band act The Whittle Family[7]. Their first performances were in June 1977[8].

With Faircloth as patriarch Slim Whittle, The Whittle Family performed around Australia and contributed to the growth of Melbourne’s cabaret, theatre restaurant, and pub show culture[9]. The group toured nationally, played all over Australia[10], in venues including pubs, universities, country halls, stadiums and festivals and in 1980 had a year-long run at Melbourne's Last Laugh Theatre Restaurant[11]. They played seasons at Melbourne comedy clubs Last Laugh, Le Joke, Flying Trapeze, The Comedy Café[12], and other venues across Melbourne.

Tracy Harvey played Slim’s wife Tammy in The Whittle Family. Other members of The Whittle Family included manager Tim McLean, Lindy Allen (Acacia Whittle, daughter of Tammy and Slim), Gary Adams (Uncle Jack, Jack Whittle), Debra Force (Cheryl, Morning Dove), and Simon Thorpe (Whit Whittle, son of Tammy and Slim)[13]. Sleepy Greg Lawrie (Granpa Whittle) replaced Simon Thorpe, performing in national tours and the first Last Laugh season. Rod Haywood (Slim Jr) joined The Whittle Family for the final Last Laugh season.

Punter to Punter

In 1979 Faircloth and Tony Rickards, both veterans of the Melbourne comedy circuit[14], created a weekly radio program based on the concept of horse-race tipping as a vehicle for comedy. Titled Punter to Punter the show ran on Melbourne public radio 3RRR for 500 shows[15] over five years[14] and achieved “cult celebrity status”[16]. Punter to Punter was the centrepiece of 3RRR’s Saturday morning shows, which included The Coodabeen Champions and Lawyers, Guns and Money. These shows had in common “an iconoclastic approach that ignored the traditional rules of broadcasting”[17].

The Punter to Punter team included Slim Whittle (Faircloth), Con Marasco (Tony Rickards) and Dr Turf (John Rothfield). Rothfield was invited to be part of program to gain credibility for the show with his specialist knowledge of horse racing[18]. The show grew to a regular cast of more than 10 people around this nucleus of Faircloth, Rickards and Rothfield.

Other members of Punter to Punter included Tracy Harvey (Tammy Whittle), Simon Thorpe (Vince Marasco), Jason Van De Velde (Trevor Marmalade), Gary Adams (Mrs Sefton and Rainforest), David Shephard (Yonnie Stone), Edwin Batt (Elwick Eddie), and Graeme Sefton (Young Graeme)[19]. Greg Pickhaver was the voice-over man 1981 – 82, followed by Steve Vizard 1983 – 90. Faircloth also co-wrote and produced 3 ‘live to air’ radio epics including On The Trail of Shergar and Riders of the Lost Cup[20], which were performed for live audiences at the Universal Theatre, in the early 1980s.

Punter to Punter was scripted by the team on Friday nights and performed in character for the hour of the weekly broadcast. They also made numerous radio and TV appearances and Melbourne Cup specials from 1980 to 1991, including a Cup Day special for the ABC in 1985[21]. The team wrote, produced, and edited Punter to Punter’s phantom calls of the Melbourne Cup for Channel 10 throughout the 1980s[22]. Punter to Punter moved to commercial radio station 3XY, where it was sponsored by the TAB and a growth of audience that included the horse-racing community. Punter to Punter joined Fox FM in 1990[23]. Faircloth and Rickards also presented an annual Christmas Comedy Clambake from 1982 to 1989 at The Astor Theatre, St Kilda, and The Palais, St Kilda.[7]

Musical career

From 1981 to 2022, Faircloth continued work on his musical career as a songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist. His band Slim Whittle’s Country Killed took many forms and members, including Ross Hannaford (Daddy Cool), Dave Flett (Captain Matchbox), Russell Coleman (Blackfeather), Billy Miller (Ferrets), Peter Brolga Coghlan (Goanna), Dougie MacDonald (Renee Geyer Band, Chuck Berry back up, Spot The Aussie), Chris Stockley (Dingoes. Jimmy Barnes Band), Frank Savage (Pete Best Beatles, North to Alaskans), and Gary Adams (Clip Clop Club). Country Killed has recorded one album, The Lost Blokes Club, all songs written by Faircloth. The last line-up of Country Killed included Tommy McEwan, Chris Stockley, and Paul Gadsby, 2020 – 2022[24]

Mitchell Faircloth, Russian Conquest at Coolangatta, 2022, gouache on paper, 29 x 42cm.

Cartoons

Faircloth published a weekly cartoon with The Winning Post newspaper from 2002 until his death in 2022, with each cartoon commenting on topical racing issues of the week and often on political events of the time[25]

Other roles

In 1993 Faircloth moved from Melbourne to the small community of Valla Beach, Nambucca Valley, NSW. Within weeks he had a lead role in a local production of David Williamson’s “The Removalist”, made friends, playing chess at the local shop, was tutoring in creative writing and presented a Monday night radio show on local station 2NVR – The Bloke Show. The local paper, The Nambucca Guardian News, featured Faircloth on their front page, photographing him working on the beach with a table and a type-writer[26]. He moved to Byron Bay[27] from Valla Beach, and worked as a tour guide taking tourists and backpackers on mini-bus tours. He returned to Melbourne c. 1997.

Faircloth was a contributor to the inception and production of the Crimson Goat Cabaret Club, with Jack Levi aka Elliot Goblet. Faircloth and Goblet presented a series of show c 2009-2015, which were presented at a small venue in the Athanaeum Theatre, and then more successfully at Ormond Hall, Moubray st, Prahran[28]. The shows featured a regular stand up comedian MC introducing approx. four comedy / cabaret / variety acts and was held on selected Sundays through the year. Faircloth designed the emblem, a crimson goat, which was hung on stage for each performance.

Faircloth’s time was also employed in many other roles: a joke writer, warm up guy, and on-screen talent and writer for Seven network tv show Tonight Live with Steve Vizard[29] 1990 – 1993. Vizard nominated Faircloth, who was one of the show's writers, as a Senate candidate in Western Australia in the 1990 Australian Federal election, with Faircoth using the show to make policy speeches[30].

Faircloth also worked as an eco tour guide, rainforest expert, and bus driver for Nimbin Tours, Byron Bay 1993 – 1995; as General Manager, Tumbarumba Blueberry Producers, Tumbarumba, NSW 1995 – 1997; as a cleaner for Profile Talent, and Artists Services, Middle Park, VIC 2003 – 2019; a chess player, St Kilda’s Blessington Gardens outdoor chess set, 2003 – 2008; as a gardener, with a special interest in permaculture; as a maker of many things, (including Tony Rickards’ backyard shed?office in 2002[7]), and as an actor (including various cameo parts in film and tv (including Flying Doctors, Keepers, As Time Goes By, and Paul Ireland’s film Measure for Measure). Faircloth was a dedicated member of the Oakleigh Bowls Club, 2012 – 2022[31], and was Skipper of his team The Oakleigh Clusters for much of that time with long term friend and manager of the Whittle Family 1977 to 1982, Tim McLean.

References

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