Though Hicks had limited exposure to cinema while growing up, he did go to theatre and concerts, as available, and was an avid radio listener, particularly of classical music and plays. Youngest of four, he recalls his childhood as rather solitary. At 16 he had completed high school and was about to enter Adelaide University for a law/arts degree when a chance encounter spun him in a different direction. "After a performance of the anti-war …showed first 75 words of 931 total…

…showed last 75 words of 931 total…hundreds of submitted scripts, books and treatments. None totally engaged his interest until, once again, Snow Falling on Cedars came before him, this time in the form of a screen adaptation by Ron Bass. "The combination of an intricate story and dense atmosphere was irresistible," he recalls. Hicks continues to live in Adelaide with his wife and collaborator, Kerry Heysen, and their two sons. He has projects in varying stages of development at several studios.