Elizabeth Balneaves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Balneaves
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| Born | 24 August 1911 Aberdeen, United Kingdom
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| Died | 7 November 2006 (aged 95) Elgin, United Kingdom
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| Nationality | Scottish |
| Education | Gray's School of Art |
| Known for | Writing, Painting, Filmmaking |
| Spouse(s) |
James McLauchlan Johnston
(m. 1934) |
Elizabeth Balneaves (born August 24, 1911 – died November 7, 2006) was an amazing Scottish author, painter, and filmmaker. She loved to explore and share her adventures with the world.
Elizabeth was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. She was the only child of Annie and Alexander Balneaves. She studied art at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen. In 1934, she married Dr. James McLauchlan Johnston. He was a psychiatrist from Shetland. James always supported her creative work.
Contents
A Life of Creativity
Elizabeth was very talented. She wrote six books and made many documentary films. She also drew beautiful portraits. Her paintings often showed landscapes. She especially loved painting the Shetland Islands and Cullen.
Exploring Shetland
Elizabeth first visited Shetland in 1934. She loved the islands and their people. She and James lived there for about 20 years. During this time, she wrote her famous book, The Windswept Isles (1977). This book was her way of thanking the people of Shetland. She felt they had truly welcomed her.
She also made a documentary film about Shetland for the BBC. It was called People of Many Lands - Shetland. Painting was her first passion. But her writing made her known to many more people.
Adventures in Pakistan and Africa
In the early 1950s, Elizabeth traveled alone to Pakistan. She spent several years there. Her travels led to two books: The Waterless Moon (1955) and Peacocks and Pipelines (1958). Both books were well-received.
Later, she returned to the area with her son, Stewart. This trip resulted in another book, The Mountains of the Murgha Zerin (1972). They also filmed unique footage of this remote culture.
Elizabeth and Stewart later visited the Sundarbans in East Pakistan. Here, they focused on making documentary films. In 1959, Elizabeth visited Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). She filmed the effects of the new Kariba Dam. The dam was flooding an area where Stewart was working. She made a film about how the flooding affected wildlife. She also wrote a book called Elephant Valley (1962). It was about a Scottish game supervisor.
Before these trips, Elizabeth worked for the Edinburgh Zoo. This experience inspired her only fiction book, Murder in the Zoo (1974).
Later Life and Legacy
In 2002, The Scotsman newspaper wrote about Elizabeth. The article was called "Action Woman". It featured her and two other female travelers and filmmakers.
Elizabeth learned to use a computer on her 90th birthday. She spent her last five years writing her memoirs. Sadly, she passed away in 2006 before finishing them. Elizabeth Balneaves left behind a wonderful legacy of books, films, and art. She was survived by her four children, 13 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.
Sources
- "Scotsman" obituary
- Scottish Screen Archive
