Hedley graduated with his B.Sc. from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London, in 1961. He continued his studies at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, winning his Ph.D. in rock mechanics in 1965. That year he immigrated to Canada and joined the Mining Research Centre of CANMET. In time he became senior research scientist. From 1990 until his retirement in 2001, he was a private consultant.