Eighty Twenty: Mark Opitz Remembers

Abstract

The dearth of child support for single-parent families in Menzies' Australia resulted in Mark Opitz's distressing displacement from his loving mother to the loveless and violent Margaret Marr Boys' Home. The audio remnants of the weekly indulgence of a dormitory radiogram, and a determination to overcome feelings of worthlessness, inspired Mark to become as Jimmy Barnes notes, 'one of the greatest record producers this country will ever create'. Not a day goes by where, somewhere in the world, you won't hear a song produced by Mark Opitz. Following a suite of government inquiries into Australia's out-of-home 'care' system, Mark's story emerges as a formidable reminder of those who significantly contributed to a society that abandoned them as children.