Educated at Mrs Hubbe's Knightsbridge School in Unley, South Australia and later at Prince Alfred's College, Murray Tonkin left school at the age of 16 to become a newspaper copy boy at the office of The News. He later worked his way up to being Sub-editor. Over fifty years he was involved in various forms of journalism, including television, and was the first television news editor in South Australia. He was the last editor of Radio Call, a journal for which he had written serial thrillers over the years under the pseudonym 'Geoffrey Martin', and as Garden Editor for the South Australian Express and Journal he used the pen-name 'Hakea'. He became Public Relations Officer and Editor of the RAA journal South Australian Motor, and continued as its editor until his retirement.
