NEWMAN, John Robert OAM

Modified on Tue, 25 Sep 2018 12:18 by Con — Categorized as: Biography - All, Biography - Collegians in the News 1911-1960, Biography - Students, Geelong College, Biography of Business and Entrepeneurship, Z Active

NEWMAN, John Robert OAM

John Newman is one of Australia’s leading producers of modern cabaret.

With Tikki Taylor, he performed in a comedy dance act internationally in 1954 and performed in many of the J C Williamson Theatre productions of the 1950s. John also worked as a television producer, and as manager of the Great Moscow Circus. With Tikki Taylor, he established a late night coffee house on Exhibition St near Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1962 and this successful business grew into the well-known Melbourne institution Tiki and John’s Music Hall which featured a cabaret and restaurant. This early business evolved into the Family run Dracula’s Restaurant Group which now operates in both Melbourne and Brisbane. Both John Newman and Tikki were awarded the Medal of Australia (OAM) in the Australia Day awards of 1993 for services to the entertainment industry and to charitable organisations.

John Newman was educated at the College from 1946 to 1947 after first attending Junior Technical School in Geelong.