Rod Wise lives in country New South Wales, Australia after having spent his childhood and working life in Sydney and Wollongong. He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School and the University of Sydney, where he earned degrees in Arts. Rod was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study in Europe and North America in 1980. For most of his working life, Rod was a journalist. He was employed by various Fairfax Media publications, including The Australian Financial Review and the Sydney Morning Herald as a reporter, feature writer, subeditor and editor. He is also the publisher of The Armidale Times, a community newsletter circulating in his local region.