Ruth Park
Encyclopedia
Ruth Park, AM was a New Zealand
-born author, who spent most of her life in Australia
. Her best known works are the novels The Harp in the South (1948) and Playing Beatie Bow
(1980), and the children's radio serial The Muddle-Headed Wombat
(1951–1970), which also spawned a book series (1962–1982).
on 24 August 1917 as Rosina Ruth Park, according to her obituary, which appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald
of 17 December 2010. Her family later moved to the town of Te Kuiti
further south in the North Island
of New Zealand, living in isolated areas.
During the Great Depression
her working class
father did various jobs. He laboured on bush roads and bridges, worked as a driver, did government relief work and found employment as a sawmill hand. Finally, he shifted back to Auckland where he joined the workforce of a municipal council. The family occupied public housing, known in New Zealand as a state house
, and money remained a scarce commodity. After attending a Catholic primary school
, Park won a partial scholarship to secondary school, but her high-school education was broken by periods of being unable to afford to attend.
Park's first break as a professional writer came when she was hired by the Auckland Star
newspaper as a journalist but she found the assignments that she was given to be unchallenging. Wishing to expand her horizons, she accepted a job offer from the San Francisco Examiner but the United States' entry into the Second World War after the bombing of Pearl Harbour forced a change of plan. Instead, she moved to Sydney
, Australia, in 1942, where she had lined up a job with another newspaper.
That same year she married the budding Australian author D'Arcy Niland
(1917–1967), whom she had met on a previous visit to Sydney, and embarked on a career as a freelance writer. Park and Niland would have five children. The youngest of them, twin daughters Kilmeny
and Deborah
, went on to enjoy careers as book illustrators. (Park was devastated when Niland died in Sydney at the age of 49 from a heart ailment; Kilmeny also predeceased her—see Herald obituary.) Park has eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
to write a serial for the ABC Children's Session, she wrote the series The Wide-awake Bunyip. When the lead actor Albert Collins
died suddenly in 1951, she changed its direction and The Muddle-Headed Wombat
was born, with first Leonard Teale
then John Ewart
in the title role. The series ended when the radio program folded in 1970. Such was its popularity that between 1962 and 1982 she wrote a series of children's books around the character.
Her first novel was The Harp in the South (1948) – a graphic story of Irish slum life in Sydney
, which has been translated into 37 languages. Even though it was acclaimed by literary critics, the book proved controversial with sections of the public due to its candour, with some newspaper letter-writers calling it a cruel fantasy because as far as they were concerned, there were no slums in Sydney. However, the newly married Park and Niland did live for a time in a Sydney slum located in the rough inner-city suburb of Surry Hills
and vouched for the novel's accuracy. It has never been out of print.
Park built on her initial success with the 1949 publication of a follow-up novel titled the Poor Man's Orange
. During the 1950s, despite the demands of raising a family, she wrote tirelessly. According to a 2010 tribute article printed in The Sydney Morning Herald
and written by her literary agent Tim Curnow, she produced more than 5000 radio scripts alone during this decade, as well as contributing numerous articles to newspapers and magazines and penning weightier works of fiction.
She subsequently wrote Missus (1985), among other novels, and created scripts for film and television. Her autobiographies, A Fence Around the Cuckoo (1992) and Fishing in the Styx (1993), deal with her life in New Zealand and Australia respectively. She also penned a novel set in New Zealand, One-a-pecker, Two-a-pecker (1957), about gold
mining
in Otago
. (Later, it was renamed The Frost and The Fire.)
Park never remarried. Between 1946 and 2004, she received numerous awards for her contributions to literature in both Australia and internationally. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia
in 1987. (Her awards and honors are listed below.)
From 1974 to 1981 Park dwelt on Norfolk Island
where she was the co-owner of a shop which sold books and gifts. Her later years, however, were spent living in the Sydney harbourside suburb of Mosman. She died in her sleep on 14 December 2010, at the age of 93.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-born author, who spent most of her life in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Her best known works are the novels The Harp in the South (1948) and Playing Beatie Bow
Playing Beatie Bow
Playing Beatie Bow is an Australian children's book written by Ruth Park and first published on the 31/1/1982.The story is set in Australia and is about a girl named Abigail who travels back in time to colonial Sydney-Town in the year 1873, where she meets Beatie Bow, a girl whose name has become...
(1980), and the children's radio serial The Muddle-Headed Wombat
The Muddle-Headed Wombat
The Muddle-Headed Wombat is a fictional wombat featured in the radio serials and later in the children's books of the same name written by Australian author Ruth Park.-History:...
(1951–1970), which also spawned a book series (1962–1982).
Personal history
Park was born in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
on 24 August 1917 as Rosina Ruth Park, according to her obituary, which appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
of 17 December 2010. Her family later moved to the town of Te Kuiti
Te Kuiti
Te Kuiti is a small town in the south of the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the junction of State Highways 3 and 30 and on the North Island Main Trunk Railway, 80 km south of Hamilton....
further south in the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand, living in isolated areas.
During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
her working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
father did various jobs. He laboured on bush roads and bridges, worked as a driver, did government relief work and found employment as a sawmill hand. Finally, he shifted back to Auckland where he joined the workforce of a municipal council. The family occupied public housing, known in New Zealand as a state house
State housing
State housing is the system of public housing offered to New Zealand residents on low to moderate incomes. Some 66,000 houses are managed by Housing New Zealand Corporation, most of which are owned by the government.-The Liberal Government:...
, and money remained a scarce commodity. After attending a Catholic primary school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
, Park won a partial scholarship to secondary school, but her high-school education was broken by periods of being unable to afford to attend.
Park's first break as a professional writer came when she was hired by the Auckland Star
Auckland Star
The Auckland Star was an evening daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, from 24 March 1870 to 20 August 1991. Survived by its Sunday edition, the Sunday Star, part of its name endures in The Sunday Star-Times, created in the 1994 merger of the Dominion Sunday Times and the Sunday...
newspaper as a journalist but she found the assignments that she was given to be unchallenging. Wishing to expand her horizons, she accepted a job offer from the San Francisco Examiner but the United States' entry into the Second World War after the bombing of Pearl Harbour forced a change of plan. Instead, she moved to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia, in 1942, where she had lined up a job with another newspaper.
That same year she married the budding Australian author D'Arcy Niland
D'Arcy Niland
D'Arcy Francis Niland was an Australian novelist and short story writer, best known for The Shiralee.-Life and writing career:...
(1917–1967), whom she had met on a previous visit to Sydney, and embarked on a career as a freelance writer. Park and Niland would have five children. The youngest of them, twin daughters Kilmeny
Kilmeny Niland
Kilmeny Niland was an Australian artist and illustrator. While best known for her children's book illustrations, she worked in a wide range of genres, including animation, wildlife art, miniatures, portraits, cards and prints...
and Deborah
Deborah Niland
Deborah Niland is an Australian artist, well known as a writer and illustrator of children's books. Some of her most popular books include Annie's Chair, When The Wind Changed, Mulga Bill's Bicycle, and Chatterbox...
, went on to enjoy careers as book illustrators. (Park was devastated when Niland died in Sydney at the age of 49 from a heart ailment; Kilmeny also predeceased her—see Herald obituary.) Park has eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Writing career
When contracted in 1942 by Ida Elizabeth OsbourneIda Elizabeth Osbourne
Ida Elizabeth Osbourne was an actor and broadcaster born in Brighton, Victoria, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs W. L. Osbourne and educated at Firbank Grammar School.-Career:...
to write a serial for the ABC Children's Session, she wrote the series The Wide-awake Bunyip. When the lead actor Albert Collins
Albert Collins (painter)
Albert E. Collins was an Australian painter, teacher and actor born in New Zealand. After a successful career in painting and teaching he joined ABC radio, where he gave pleasure to a generation of children as "Joe" of the Children's Session and the main character in the long-running serial...
died suddenly in 1951, she changed its direction and The Muddle-Headed Wombat
The Muddle-Headed Wombat
The Muddle-Headed Wombat is a fictional wombat featured in the radio serials and later in the children's books of the same name written by Australian author Ruth Park.-History:...
was born, with first Leonard Teale
Leonard Teale
Leonard Teale AO , born Leonard George Thiele in Brisbane, was a well-known Australian actor of radio, television and films....
then John Ewart
John Ewart
John Ewart was an Australian Film Institute award winning actor.-Career:Ewart was born in Melbourne. He began his acting career when he was cast at the age of four in a radio production of Snow White...
in the title role. The series ended when the radio program folded in 1970. Such was its popularity that between 1962 and 1982 she wrote a series of children's books around the character.
Her first novel was The Harp in the South (1948) – a graphic story of Irish slum life in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, which has been translated into 37 languages. Even though it was acclaimed by literary critics, the book proved controversial with sections of the public due to its candour, with some newspaper letter-writers calling it a cruel fantasy because as far as they were concerned, there were no slums in Sydney. However, the newly married Park and Niland did live for a time in a Sydney slum located in the rough inner-city suburb of Surry Hills
Surry Hills, New South Wales
Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is located immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
and vouched for the novel's accuracy. It has never been out of print.
Park built on her initial success with the 1949 publication of a follow-up novel titled the Poor Man's Orange
Poor Man's Orange
Poor Man's Orange is a novel by New Zealand born Australian author Ruth Park. Published in 1949, the book is the sequel to The Harp in the South and continues the story of the Darcy family, living in the Surry Hills area of Sydney....
. During the 1950s, despite the demands of raising a family, she wrote tirelessly. According to a 2010 tribute article printed in The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
and written by her literary agent Tim Curnow, she produced more than 5000 radio scripts alone during this decade, as well as contributing numerous articles to newspapers and magazines and penning weightier works of fiction.
She subsequently wrote Missus (1985), among other novels, and created scripts for film and television. Her autobiographies, A Fence Around the Cuckoo (1992) and Fishing in the Styx (1993), deal with her life in New Zealand and Australia respectively. She also penned a novel set in New Zealand, One-a-pecker, Two-a-pecker (1957), about gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
. (Later, it was renamed The Frost and The Fire.)
Park never remarried. Between 1946 and 2004, she received numerous awards for her contributions to literature in both Australia and internationally. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in 1987. (Her awards and honors are listed below.)
From 1974 to 1981 Park dwelt on Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
where she was the co-owner of a shop which sold books and gifts. Her later years, however, were spent living in the Sydney harbourside suburb of Mosman. She died in her sleep on 14 December 2010, at the age of 93.
Awards
- 1946 in the inaugural Sydney Morning Herald-sponsored writers' competition, she won the Best Novel award for The Harp in the South (which would not be published, however, until 1948)
- 1954 Catholic Book Club Choice selected Serpent's Delight
- 1961 in the inaugural Commonwealth Television Play Competition run by the Lew Grade Organisation the British award for television play won for No Decision, with D'Arcy NilandD'Arcy NilandD'Arcy Francis Niland was an Australian novelist and short story writer, best known for The Shiralee.-Life and writing career:...
- 1962 Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Children's Book of the Year Award, highly commended for The Hole in the Hill
- 1975 CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award, highly commended for Callie's Castle
- 1977 Miles Franklin AwardMiles Franklin AwardThe Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
for Swords and Crowns and Rings - 1977 National Book Council highly commended for Swords and Crowns and Rings
- 1979 CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award, highly commended for Come Danger, Come Darkness
- 1981 CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award won the Playing Beatie BowPlaying Beatie BowPlaying Beatie Bow is an Australian children's book written by Ruth Park and first published on the 31/1/1982.The story is set in Australia and is about a girl named Abigail who travels back in time to colonial Sydney-Town in the year 1873, where she meets Beatie Bow, a girl whose name has become...
- 1981 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Ethel Turner Prize for young people's literature won for When the Wind Changed
- 1982 Parents' Choice Award for Literature won for Playing Beatie BowPlaying Beatie BowPlaying Beatie Bow is an Australian children's book written by Ruth Park and first published on the 31/1/1982.The story is set in Australia and is about a girl named Abigail who travels back in time to colonial Sydney-Town in the year 1873, where she meets Beatie Bow, a girl whose name has become...
, awarded by the Parents' Choice Foundation - 1982 Boston Globe-Horn Book AwardBoston Globe-Horn Book AwardThe Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were first presented by The Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine in 1967. They are among the most prestigious honors in the United States in the field of children’s and young adult literature...
for Playing Beatie BowPlaying Beatie BowPlaying Beatie Bow is an Australian children's book written by Ruth Park and first published on the 31/1/1982.The story is set in Australia and is about a girl named Abigail who travels back in time to colonial Sydney-Town in the year 1873, where she meets Beatie Bow, a girl whose name has become... - 1982 International Board on Books for Young PeopleInternational Board on Books for Young PeopleThe International Board on Books for Young People is a non-profit organization based in Switzerland committed to bringing books and children together.-History:...
(Australia) won the Honour Diploma for Playing Beatie BowPlaying Beatie BowPlaying Beatie Bow is an Australian children's book written by Ruth Park and first published on the 31/1/1982.The story is set in Australia and is about a girl named Abigail who travels back in time to colonial Sydney-Town in the year 1873, where she meets Beatie Bow, a girl whose name has become... - 1982 Guardian Fiction PrizeGuardian First Book AwardGuardian First Book Award, issued before 1999 as Guardian Fiction Prize or Guardian Fiction Award, is awarded to new writing in fiction and non-fiction.-History:...
(UK) runner up for Playing Beatie BowPlaying Beatie BowPlaying Beatie Bow is an Australian children's book written by Ruth Park and first published on the 31/1/1982.The story is set in Australia and is about a girl named Abigail who travels back in time to colonial Sydney-Town in the year 1873, where she meets Beatie Bow, a girl whose name has become... - 1986 Young Australians' Best Book Award for a picture book for When the Wind Changed (illustrated by Deborah NilandDeborah NilandDeborah Niland is an Australian artist, well known as a writer and illustrator of children's books. Some of her most popular books include Annie's Chair, When The Wind Changed, Mulga Bill's Bicycle, and Chatterbox...
) - 1987 Member of the Order of Australia (AM) bestowed for services to literature
- 1992 The Age Book of the Year, Non-Fiction Award won for A Fence around the Cuckoo
- 1992 Colin Roderick AwardColin Roderick AwardThe Colin Roderick Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first presented in 1967 and currently has a prize of A$10,000....
won for A Fence around the Cuckoo, presented with the H.T. Priestley Meda(Townsville Foundation for Australian Literary Studies Award) - 1993 Tilly Aston Award for Braille Book of the Year won for A Fence around the Cuckoo
- 1993 Talking Book of the Year Award (Royal Blind Society) won for A Fence around the Cuckoo
- 1993 Talking Book of the Year Award (Royal Blind Society) won for Fishing in the Styx
- 1993 Awarded the Lloyd O'Neil Magpie Award for services to the Australian book industry
- 1994 Canberra's Own Outstanding ListCOOL Award WinnersThe COOL awards is an annual children's choice award voted on by students in Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Children are encouraged to read and vote for their favourite books...
(CBCA COOL AwardCOOL Award WinnersThe COOL awards is an annual children's choice award voted on by students in Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Children are encouraged to read and vote for their favourite books...
) won for Playing Beatie BowPlaying Beatie BowPlaying Beatie Bow is an Australian children's book written by Ruth Park and first published on the 31/1/1982.The story is set in Australia and is about a girl named Abigail who travels back in time to colonial Sydney-Town in the year 1873, where she meets Beatie Bow, a girl whose name has become... - 1994 Awarded Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of New South Wales
- 1994 Fellowship of Australian WritersFellowship of Australian WritersThe Fellowship of Australian Writers, also known as FAW, was established in Sydney in 1928. Its aim is to bring writers together and promote their interests...
Christina Stead Award won for Home Before Dark - 1996 Bilby Award, Young Reader Award won for When the Wind Changed (illustrated by Deborah Niland)
- 2004 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards won the Special Award
- 2006 listed in the Bulletin's 100 most influential Australians
Novels
- The Harp in the South, (1948)
- Poor Man's OrangePoor Man's OrangePoor Man's Orange is a novel by New Zealand born Australian author Ruth Park. Published in 1949, the book is the sequel to The Harp in the South and continues the story of the Darcy family, living in the Surry Hills area of Sydney....
, (1949); also published as 12 1/2 Plymouth Street, (1951) - The Witch's Thorn, (1951)
- A Power of Roses, (1953)
- Serpent's Delight, (1953); also published as The Good Looking Women, (1961)
- Pink Flannel, (1955)
- One-a-Pecker, Two-a-Pecker, (1957); also published as The Frost and the Fire, (1958)
- Swords and Crowns and RingsSwords and Crowns and RingsSwords and Crowns and Rings is a Miles Franklin Award winning novel by Australian author Ruth Park.-References:...
, (1977) - Missus, (1985)
Children's books
- The Hole in the Hill, (1961); also published as Secret of the Maori Cave, (1961)
- The Ship's Cat, (1961)
- The Muddle-Headed WombatThe Muddle-Headed WombatThe Muddle-Headed Wombat is a fictional wombat featured in the radio serials and later in the children's books of the same name written by Australian author Ruth Park.-History:...
series, (1962–1982) - Airlift for Grandee, (1962)
- The Road to Christmas, (1962)
- The Road Under the Sea, (1962)
- The Shaky Island, (1962)
- Uncle Matt's Mountain, (1962)
- The Ring for the Sorcerer, (1967)
- The Sixpenny Island, (1968)
- Nuki and the Sea Serpent: a Maori Legend, (1969)
- The Runaway Bus, (1969)
- Callie's Castle, (1974)
- The Gigantic Balloon, (1975)
- Merchant Campbell, (1976)
- Roger Bandy, (1977)
- Come Danger, Come Darkness, (1978)
- Playing Beatie BowPlaying Beatie BowPlaying Beatie Bow is an Australian children's book written by Ruth Park and first published on the 31/1/1982.The story is set in Australia and is about a girl named Abigail who travels back in time to colonial Sydney-Town in the year 1873, where she meets Beatie Bow, a girl whose name has become...
, (1980) - When the Wind Changed, (1980)
- The Big Brass Key, (1983)
- My Sister Sif, (1986)
- Callie's Family, (1988)
- Things in Corners, (1989) – short stories
- James, (1991)
Non-fiction
- Der Goldene Bumerang, (1955), or The Golden Boomerang
- The Companion Guide to Sydney, (1973)
- Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island, (1982)
- The Sydney We Love, (1983)
- The Tasmania We Love, (1987)
- A Fence Around the Cuckoo, (1992), autobiography
- Fishing in the Styx, (1993), autobiography
- Home Before Dark: The Story of Les Darcy, a Great Australian Hero, (1995), with Rafe Champion
See also
- List of New Zealand literary figures
External links
- Ruth Park Official Website
- Ruth Park (1999–2000) by Kilmeny NILAND National Portrait Gallery (Australia) (Retrieved 1 August 2007)