Popular presenter Jude Dobson is exiting the war zone and looking for a new adventure. Photo / Sally Tagg
Jude Dobson is about to close the door on a chapter of her life. For nearly 10 years, she has told people’s war stories, preserving important pieces of history in both documentary and memoir formats.
It has been her passion and, at times, it’s taken over her life. But now, the former TV host is ready to move on.
Her latest doco, From Field to Front – about legendary All Black Dave Gallaher, who died in World War I – screens on Anzac Day and after that, she’ll take a deep breath and consider what ignites her interest next.
“It’s like when you ask a kid, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’” muses Jude. “I’m 59 and I’m still trying to figure out what I’m doing.”
When it comes to her career, Jude has never really had a game plan. Throughout her working life, she has “leaned into” things she’s cared about and seen where that has taken her. “It’s all just kind of evolved,” she says.
She initially became a nurse, got sidetracked by auditioning for the TV quiz show Sale of the Century and after becoming a household name – thanks to appearing on that programme plus lifestyle shows such as 5.30 With Jude – went on to set up her own production company, Homegrown TV.
She produced extensive filmed content on all aspects of parenting and also started a website, Raising Children, which became a comprehensive resource.
Next, her interest in war history led her to make four documentaries about the role Kiwis have played in conflict. It also resulted in Jude ghostwriting The Last Secret Agent, the bestselling memoir of World War II spy Pippa Latour.
As with many of the things she has done, becoming an author was “pretty random”, but like everything else on her CV, it has been a success because she’s put her heart and soul into it, and been determined to do the best job she possibly can.
Her efforts in several different fields were recognised last year when she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours for her services to community, broadcasting and historical preservation.
When Jude was first emailed about the honour, she thought it was a scam, but was thrilled to learn it was real.
Jude muses, “I kind of feel I shouldn’t get something for broadcasting because I was paid to do it. These things should be for where you go a bit beyond or do really well in that field. I’ve never felt I’ve done really well in broadcasting – I’ve just been around at the right time.
“But I have put a lot of effort into community and preserving history, so it’s been really touching to be recognised for that.”
Her interest in war history was piqued in 2017 during a family trip to France with her husband Graeme, and their children Ella, Jack and Rosie. She promised her dad Bill Kirk that she would trace the footsteps of his father Ernest, who fought there in World War I.
“His father came back with shellshock and didn’t talk about the war,” tells Jude. “I researched all the places he’d been and we followed his war journey. My dad was pleased to hear about everything.”
Bill died the following year and Jude, who’d lost her mum Naomi in 2016, began thinking about the memories that were disappearing with each generation.
“I was in so much grief about losing them and then I thought, ‘That whole generation is dying and we’re losing their stories.’ That’s when I really tipped into wanting to tell these stories about war and the impact it had on people.”
This period of reflection coincided with Jude learning of plans to build a museum in Le Quesnoy, France, dedicated to brave Kiwi soldiers who had helped liberate the town from the Germans in 1918. She became involved in that project and made a documentary titled The Liberation of Le Quesnoy.
Another doco she produced, All Blacks at War – about the 13 All Blacks who died – led her to the story of Dave Gallaher. Born in Northern Ireland in 1873, he emigrated to New Zealand as a child and also fought in the Boer War in South Africa. He later captained the first All Blacks, known as the Originals, on their highly successful tour of Great Britain, Ireland, France and the US in 1905-1906, and was considered the “father of the All Blacks”.
The Gallaher Shield – the main club competition in Auckland – is named after him, as is the Dave Gallaher Trophy, contested between New Zealand and France.
But Dave wasn’t just a rugby legend – he was also a war hero who signed up to fight in World War I, even though he was exempt from conscription because he was married with a child and in his early forties.
“There were a bunch of reasons why he went,” explains Jude. “As a former All Black captain, he knew how to deal with people and had great leadership skills. All the men he knew had gone, so he probably felt like he should do his part. I have enormous respect for him.”
Dave enlisted in the army in 1916 and was sent to the Western Front in Europe. He was killed at Passchendaele in October 1917, aged 43.
Jude says it has been a privilege to pay tribute to him. She’s not really a rugby fan, admitting, “I’m the person who rings their friend and they say, ‘Why are you calling now? Don’t you realise there’s a rugby match on?’ I have no idea.”
The documentary focuses on an extra-special way of honouring Dave. Jude arranged for soil to be dug up from the pitch at Eden Park, where a massive bronze statue of Dave has pride of place outside one of the entrances. It was then taken to three overseas sites of significance to him – a park named after him in his birthplace, Ramelton, Northern Ireland; Parc des Princes in Paris, where he played his final game as an All Black; and his grave in Belgium’s Nine Elms British Cemetery.
Soil from each of those locations was then returned to New Zealand and interred beneath the turf at Eden Park.
“It was a way of bringing Dave home,” Jude says.
She ensured the appropriate respect was paid to Dave at each location, with dignified ceremonies held each time. Former All Blacks legends Sean Fitzpatrick and Andrew Mehrtens helped with the poignant process of transferring the soil.
“It was a massive undertaking,” admits Jude, recalling the complicated logistics of digging up the soil in different sites, getting it sent across the world and back to New Zealand, and meeting strict biosecurity regulations. “I couldn’t just pop it in my handbag!”
It was also a mission getting funding for the doco – in the end, a handful of generous philanthropists made it possible. The constant battle to raise the money to make documentaries is why Jude has decided it’s time to do something else.
Although she adds, “Unless of course somebody gave me the funding to do something about Kiwi Vietnam veterans. Some of them are still alive. That’s something I would do.”
Similarly, she’s unlikely to tackle ghostwriting another book, despite the phenomenal success of The Last Secret Agent. It was a huge amount of work, with many hours spent interviewing Pippa, who died in 2023 aged 102, and Jude says she would only consider doing it again if it were someone with a truly amazing tale to tell.
In the meantime, she hasn’t quite let go of Pippa’s story of outwitting the Nazis in war-torn France. She optioned the film rights from Pippa’s estate and is working on a screenplay.
“I’m learning as I go along and screenwriting is very different to anything I’ve ever done, but I do know Pippa’s story so well, so I thought I might as well try.”
Jude also works three days a week at Auckland Grammar School, writing for their biannual magazine.
“I love being part of that community,” she says.
As for what she’ll do with the rest of her time, that remains to be seen. She and Graeme are almost empty nesters, with only Rosie, 22, at home as she finishes a conjoint degree in global studies and biology at the University of Auckland. Ella, 30, is working in animation and motion design in San Francisco, and Jack, 27, is a barman in New York.
When they were young, her kids inspired her to produce content about the early stages of life. Now, reflecting on the loss of her beloved parents, she’s drawn to people who are heading towards the end of their days. Jude has been involved with Summerset Retirement Villages, including doing interviews for their website, and enjoys talking to older people about their lives. That might be something she pursues further in some way.
“Again, it’s those human stories that I love,” she says. “I like the idea of getting people to talk on video so they have something they can leave for their children. Or maybe there’s something I can do with my nursing side to help people at that stage of life – that would be coming full circle for me.
“I’ll make opportunities somewhere,” she adds. “I always tell my kids the only constant in life is change and that’s my mantra. Life always changes and who knows what will be next.”
The doco From Field to Front screens on TVNZ 1, Anzac Day at noon.