Coralie Clarke Rees facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Coralie Clarke Rees
|
|
|---|---|
Coralie Clarke Rees with her husband, Leslie Rees, in 1955
|
|
| Born | Coralie Clarke 23 October 1908 Perth, Western Australia |
| Died | 14 February 1972 (aged 63) |
| Spouse | Leslie Rees |
Coralie Clarke Rees (born Coralie Clarke) was an Australian author from Western Australia. She wrote many books and plays, often inspired by her travels.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Coralie Clarke was born in Perth, Western Australia, on October 23, 1908. She was the oldest daughter of Guildford "Gil" Clarke and Sylvia Clarke. Her father was a champion bowler and worked as the secretary for the WA Bowling Association for many years.
Coralie studied at the University of Western Australia. While there, she wrote for the student newspaper, Black Swan. She even helped edit the paper alongside Leslie Rees, who she would later marry.
She was also very involved in student theatre. She acted in plays and even wrote her own play called Shielded Eyes. This play was performed in March 1930 by the Perth Repertory Theatre.
Life in London and Return to Australia
In 1931, Coralie won a special scholarship to study in London. She and Leslie Rees got married in London and lived there until 1936. During her time in London, Coralie worked as a drama critic, writing reviews about plays. She also wrote articles about London life for Australian newspapers like The West Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald, and for The Australian Women's Weekly magazine.
In March 1936, Coralie and Leslie returned to Australia. They first went back to Perth, then moved to Sydney. Leslie got a job at the Australian Broadcasting Commission as their first federal drama editor. They settled in Neutral Bay and later raised their two daughters there.
Coralie continued to be very busy. She toured Australia and even went back to London as a private secretary for a famous pianist named Eileen Joyce. Coralie also wrote plays for radio and often appeared on radio shows herself. She would talk about art and topics important to women.
Travels and Writings
Coralie Clarke Rees loved to travel. Even though she had a difficult spinal condition, she traveled widely across Australia with her husband Leslie and their daughters. These trips gave her many ideas and experiences. She used them to create a series of radio talks and write travel books.
Family Life
Coralie Clarke married Leslie Rees on September 19, 1931. They had two daughters:
- Megan Rees (born August 30, 1938)
- Dymphna Rees (born around 1941), who later became Dymphna Rees Peterson. She won the Henry Lawson Poetry Prize for university students in 1961.
Books by Coralie Clarke Rees
Coralie Clarke Rees wrote several books, some on her own and some with her husband, Leslie Rees.
- Silent His Wings (1946): This is a collection of poems written in memory of her brother, Maxwell John Clarke, who passed away during World War II. You can read it online here.
- Wait Till We Grow Up: Comedy for children (1948): A play for children.
- What Happened After? Nursery rhyme sequels (1972): This book tells what happened next in popular nursery rhymes.
Books Written with Leslie Rees
Coralie also wrote several travel books with her husband, Leslie Rees:
- Spinifex Walkabout: Hitch-hiking in remote North Australia (1953): This book is about their adventures hitch-hiking in remote parts of northern Australia.
- Westward from Cocos: Indian Ocean travels (1956): This book shares their experiences traveling around the Indian Ocean.
- Coasts of Cape York: travels around Australia's pearl-tipped peninsula (1960): This book describes their travels around the Cape York Peninsula in Australia.
- People of the Big Sky Country (1970): Another book about their travels and the people they met.
