Garry Pankhurst: What Happened to the Skippy Star

Most kids who grew up in 1960s-70s Australia remember Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, but few recall what happened to the boy who rode alongside the famous marsupial. Garry Pankhurst, who played Sonny Hammond for 92 episodes from 1968 to 1970, walked away from acting when the cameras stopped rolling, and today he works as an exporter—a quiet lesson in what happens when childhood fame fades.

Born: October 1957 ·
Known for: Sonny Hammond in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo ·
Current occupation: Exporter ·
Nationality: Australian

Five key facts paint a full picture of Garry Pankhurst’s life from child star to private citizen.

What does Garry Pankhurst do now?

Garry Pankhurst works as an exporter. After his acting career ended, he moved into hospitality management — according to IMDb’s biography, he managed restaurants and hotels before his latest venture exporting goods to Malaysia. Wikipedia adds detail: his export business included kangaroo meat, a detail he reportedly referred to as “Sonny’s revenge.” An Omny interview from 2021 confirmed the meat export to Malaysia and the “Sonny’s revenge” phrase.

Where does Garry Pankhurst work?

He operates from Australia. IMDb notes that he later lived in Queensland. There is no public record of a registered company in his name, but the interview evidence confirms the export activity.

Where is Garry Pankhurst now?

He lives a private life in Australia with no known public social media presence. A 2020 Facebook post repeats the same career arc — from child actor to meat exporter — but offers no current location details. The Australian government’s National Film and Sound Archive holds archival material but no recent contact information.

The implication: Pankhurst deliberately stays out of the spotlight. No interviews, no brand deals, no comeback attempts — a clean break from the entertainment industry that most former child actors never manage.

The pattern: Pankhurst’s path from child star to exporter is a rare example of a clean break from celebrity.

How old is Garry Pankhurst now?

Garry Pankhurst was born in October 1957, according to Wikipedia. That makes him 67 years old in 2025. IMDb lists his birth year as 1958, a discrepancy that neither source resolves. The exact day of birth is not publicly recorded.

The pattern: both sources agree on October as the birth month but disagree on the year by one. Neither is a primary record — no birth certificate is publicly available.

What happened to Sonny from Skippy?

Sonny Hammond is the son of a park ranger in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. The character lives in Waratah National Park and becomes the best friend of Skippy, a bush kangaroo who performs remarkable rescues and communicates with whistle cues. National Seniors Australia identifies Sonny as “Skippy’s best mate.”

What is the character Sonny’s backstory?

Sonny is the younger son of park ranger Matt Hammond. His older brother Mark (played by Ken James) and his father run the park together. Sonny’s role was primarily the curious kid who got into — and out of — trouble with Skippy’s help.

Did Garry Pankhurst continue acting?

No. After Skippy ended in 1970, Pankhurst appeared in the 1969 film The Intruders and the 2009 documentary Skippy: Australia’s First Superstar, but took no other acting roles. IMDb’s biography states he “did well after show business managing restaurants and hotels.”

The pattern: Pankhurst left acting completely. The 2009 documentary appearance was a retrospective look, not a return to the craft.

What this means: Pankhurst’s avoidance of the spotlight is a consistent theme throughout his post-acting life.

Where was Skippy the kangaroo filmed?

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was filmed at Waratah Park in Duffys Forest, New South Wales. The park sits within the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park area, about 30 kilometres north of Sydney’s central business district.

What is Waratah Park?

Waratah Park is a heritage site now managed by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. It was originally a fauna reserve and film set constructed specifically for the series. The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia holds extensive material from the set, including behind-the-scenes photographs with director Max Varnel.

Is Skippy filmed in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park?

The series used the park as its backdrop. Waratah Park itself is a fenced section within the larger Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park boundary. Today visitors can tour parts of the original set, though the area has been redeveloped.

Why did Clancy leave Skippy?

Clancy was played by actor Tony Bonner. He was a park ranger character who appeared in the first season. Available sources do not detail the reason for Clancy’s exit from the series. Bonner himself continued acting in Australia for decades after.

The gap in public records means no confirmed explanation exists. It may have been a script decision, an actor’s choice, or a production scheduling conflict — none of which are documented in any accessible source.

“Director Max Varnel giving guidance to Garry Pankhurst on set of Skippy.”
— Caption from National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (archival collection)

“His latest venture was exporting to Malaysia.”
— IMDb (biography section)

Frequently asked questions about Garry Pankhurst

Garry Pankhurst’s story is a rare one in child-actor history: a clean exit, a successful second career, and a complete retreat from public life. For any Australian who grew up watching Sonny and Skippy, the lesson is that not every child star wants the spotlight. For fans still curious, the career arc of Belinda Giblin offers a similar Australian TV parallel, and Adrian Grenier’s pivot from acting shows the same impulse in a younger generation. For researchers and archivists, the gaps in Pankhurst’s public record are a reminder that fame leaves a footprint — but only if the person chooses to step in the sand.