Background and Early Years
Born Arthur Bryce Courtenay in Johannesburg, South Africa, he spent most of his early years in a small village in the Lebombo Mountains in the Limpopo province.
In 1955, while studying journalism in London, Courtenay met his future wife, Benita, and eventually emigrated to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They married in 1959 and had three sons – Brett, Adam and Damon.
Courtenay entered the advertising industry and, over a career spanning 34 years, was the Creative Director of McCann Erickson, J. Walter Thompson & George Patterson Advertising. His award-winning campaigns included Louie the Fly, the original Milkybar Kid commercial and the Australian Labor Party's 1972 election campaign, It's Time.
In 1991, Damon (who was born with the blood condition haemophilia) died at age 24 from AIDS-related complications, contracted through a blood transfusion.
Courtenay divorced Benita in 2000 and acknowledged some indiscretions during their 42-year marriage. He later lived in Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory with his second wife, Christine Gee.
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