Bruce Elder
Encyclopedia
Bruce Elder is a journalist, writer and commentator. He is currently a full-time journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald specialising in travel and popular culture. His other areas of expertise include film, television, and popular music. He has written extensively around Australia and has a passion for Australian history. He is also the director of Walkabout, the Fairfax organisation's detailed travel internet site.
Bruce's radio experience began in the 1970s when he became ABC's 2JJ (now Triple J
) London Correspondent. He is currently heard around the country on Friday nights on Tony Delroy's Nightlife program. Bruce is currently the Australasian editor of Australian Trivial Pursuit. He has also written over 60 books for 16 publishers including contributions to the Macquarie Dictionary
, atlases, communication text books and travel guides. His most recent book, Remember When, looked at the way Australia has changed over the past 50 years.
In 1988 Bruce won acclaim for his book Blood on the Wattle which was praised as 'arguably the best book ever written about Aborigines by a white writer'. It was recently listed as one of the ten most influential Australian works of non-fiction in the
twentieth century in an extensive poll conducted by the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
.
In 1996 Bruce won the prestigious Pascall Prize
for Critical Writing. This was the first time the award had been won by a writer working in the field of popular culture.
In 2010 he was appointed Chairman of the board of Lifeline South Coast (he had been a member of the board for over a decade) and, for the past ten years, has been an Australia Day Ambassador (including in Gosford, NSW in year 2010) travelling around New South Wales and performing civic duties for the Australia Day Council. He has been an Ambassador to Kogarah, Tumut, Marulan, Crookwell, Junee, Ardlethan, Taralga, Wyong, Adelong, Harden, Wombat, The Entrance and Toukley, Woy Woy and Gosford.
Bruce's radio experience began in the 1970s when he became ABC's 2JJ (now Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
) London Correspondent. He is currently heard around the country on Friday nights on Tony Delroy's Nightlife program. Bruce is currently the Australasian editor of Australian Trivial Pursuit. He has also written over 60 books for 16 publishers including contributions to the Macquarie Dictionary
Macquarie Dictionary
The Macquarie Dictionary is a dictionary of Australian English. It also pays considerable attention to New Zealand English. Originally it was a publishing project of Jacaranda Press, a Brisbane educational publisher, for which an editorial committee was formed, largely from the Linguistics...
, atlases, communication text books and travel guides. His most recent book, Remember When, looked at the way Australia has changed over the past 50 years.
In 1988 Bruce won acclaim for his book Blood on the Wattle which was praised as 'arguably the best book ever written about Aborigines by a white writer'. It was recently listed as one of the ten most influential Australian works of non-fiction in the
twentieth century in an extensive poll conducted by the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
.
In 1996 Bruce won the prestigious Pascall Prize
Pascall Prize
The Pascall Prize: Australian 'Critic of the Year is an annual Australian award for critical writing and review, awarded to a critic whose work over the previous 12 to 18 months has contributed significantly to public appreciation, enjoyment and understanding of the area or areas of the arts in...
for Critical Writing. This was the first time the award had been won by a writer working in the field of popular culture.
In 2010 he was appointed Chairman of the board of Lifeline South Coast (he had been a member of the board for over a decade) and, for the past ten years, has been an Australia Day Ambassador (including in Gosford, NSW in year 2010) travelling around New South Wales and performing civic duties for the Australia Day Council. He has been an Ambassador to Kogarah, Tumut, Marulan, Crookwell, Junee, Ardlethan, Taralga, Wyong, Adelong, Harden, Wombat, The Entrance and Toukley, Woy Woy and Gosford.