Lessons on location

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34138, 27 April 1976, Page 4

Lessons on location

Third former Andrew Hawthorn, of Auckland Boys’ Grammar School, star of TV2’s new adventure series “Hunter’s Gold,” is not missing out on schoolwork, in spite of his leading role. He has two tutors — two woman teachers from Queenstown, Mrs Jill Reid and Mrs Lynette Nielson — who drive out to the location to give him lessons. When Andrew is not needed in some scenes, they rake him to their homes for coaching. He is really getting far more intensive teaching than he would be getting at school,” said Mrs Nielson. She added that Andrew met his first fans the other day — two sixth-form girls from Wakatipu High School in Queenstown. “They really were sweet, she said. “They had a list of questions to ask

for a school project, so J left them to it with Andrew in the sitting room.” The drama is built around the search by Scott Hunter (Andrew) for his father on the Otago goldfields of the 1860 s. Andrew has fitted in well to a hard life, and according to crew and cast has not become bigheaded. Director Tom Parkinson, who has produced in the United States and Britain, says: “He's a good lad; bright, of course, 'and well able to cope.” Actress Ilona Rogers, who had a part in TVl’s “Close to Home,” and runs “Molly Grogan’s Ballarat Royale” grog shop in “Hunter’s Gold, says Andrew is very much one of the team. “We sit in the grog shop and swap jokes, not to be repeated at Auckland Grammar,” she says. And as for Andrew, he

seems to have had a ball: “The scene I liked was when I had to slide down a long shingle slide, he said. “And one night we set fire to the grog shop.” He has also tried his hand at riding the horses being used in the production. At Easter, Andrew’s parents and brother ana sister went to Queenstown from Auckland to see what he was up to, and his 15-year-old brother was envious. As to the future, Andrew seems to have his feet firmly on the ground: “The third form year is the only time you can do anything much — later there is School Certificate and U.E. and I’ll get them first before deciding about acting as a career.” Above: Andrew answers a history question from one of his two tutors, Mrs Jill Reid, during a break in filming on location on the banks of the Shotover