Nadine Garner on her days on The Henderson Kids: ‘I feel like my teens were cut short’

Nadine Garner is an actor best known for playing Jean Beazley in The Doctor Blake Mysteries. Here, the 53-year-old shares the one topic she always discusses with her father, which cast member became her first love, and why she loves that her current partner doesn’t work in the arts.

“Your father becomes the mark of what a man should be. So in some ways, I’ve expected this intellectual element in all my relationships.”Credit: Peter Tarasiuk

My maternal grandfather, James, fought in Papua New Guinea during World War II. He was a Melburnian but moved to Sydney when I was young. He later moved to Tweed Heads, where I would visit my grandmother, Constance, and him for school holidays. My grandparents were sweet, joyful people.

My mother, Janet, was conceived before my grandfather left for the war and he didn’t see his daughter until she was 2½. My 20-something grandmother had given birth and raised an infant alone, so she was traumatised, too. Like many soldiers of that generation, my grandfather never talked about the war. I know that in his 80s, before he died, he had terrible night terrors.

My mother was very in tune with social justice. When I was five, she adopted my little sister Mitali from Bangladesh. Mitali had been abandoned in a railway station and taken to an orphanage.

I remember going to the airport to collect this beautiful 22-month-old child with a shaved head, distended belly and clothes that didn’t fit. It was quite a shock for my older sister, Kerryn, and me, but I completely adored her. I remember the enormous attention required by my mother to nurse her back to health.

My parents separated when I was 13. Back then, my father, Paul, managed a domestic lighting company. Dad is a very politically engaged person who has an encyclopedic knowledge of history. I’ve always enjoyed his intellect – when we meet, I know we’ll discuss the state of the world.

Dad is quite a spiritual person and in his 50s was ordained into a Buddhist order. He’s not walking around in robes, but lives by the Buddhist pretexts and takes that side of his life seriously. He leads a simple life. We talk about what’s important – if it’s not the money stuff the world wants you to believe, what is it? In him, I have a wonderful companion to thrash these things out.

Your father becomes the mark of what a man in your life should be. So in some ways, I’ve expected this intellectual element in all my relationships. These days, I don’t see Dad a lot because I live in Melbourne and he lives at Port Fairy.

I was an unusual teenager because I was working from the age of 13 – I did two series of [1980s TV drama] The Henderson Kids. I feel like my teenager years were cut short because I had to hold down professional duties, like early-morning starts and learning lines.

Cast member Ben Mendelsohn was the first love of my life. He was a couple of years older than me and was incredibly intelligent. He was a troubled, agitated sort of teenager who was determined to be something.

I found Ben riveting. I was struck by his intellect. He used to carry a briefcase with his scripts inside and smoke soft-pack Stuyvesants. He talked about acting. He was a bit wild and hip and cool and edgy.

I was 16 when we began our relationship and we met up again for a short time when I was 23. We sort of don’t see each other now, but there was a time when he was a huge influence on the music I listened to and my world view.

I first met my ex-husband, Cameron, when I was 17 on the set of the 1987 Disney film Bushfire Moon. Cameron was a third assistant director and a bit older than me. He cared about the happenings in the world, which was important to me. We married when I was in my mid-30s, and though we weren’t married for very long we are still good friends.

Our son, Edan, is in year 12. He is a serious young man, an aficionado of American presidents and US political history who’s considering a career in politics. Edan wrote his first manifesto [about the shape of our planet] when he was seven.

I’ve been in a relationship for five years to a wonderful man. Wil is an industrial designer who lectures at RMIT University and also works in his field. I really love that he’s not in my industry as I need to understand things outside of the arts.

Nadine Garner stars in Pride and Prejudice: An Adaptation in Words and Music at the Arts Centre Melbourne from September 27.

Get the best of Sunday Life magazine delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning. Sign up here for our free newsletter.