Ethel Turner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ethel Mary Turner
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Ether Turner, pictured in 1925.
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Ethel Sibyl Burwell
24 January 1870 Doncaster, England
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| Died | 8 April 1958 (aged 88) Mosman, Sydney
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| Occupation | Writer |
| Spouse(s) | Herbert Raine Curlewis (m. 22 April 1896) |
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Ethel Turner (born January 24, 1870 – died April 8, 1958) was a famous Australian writer. She was born in England and became well-known for her children's books, especially Seven Little Australians. Many people consider her a classic author in Australian children's literature.
Contents
Ethel Turner's Life Story
Ethel Mary Burwell was born in Doncaster, England. Her father passed away when she was only two years old. This left her mother, Sarah Jane, with Ethel and her sister Lillian. A year later, her mother married Henry Turner. He was 20 years older and already had six children. Sarah Jane and Henry then had another daughter, Rose.
Sadly, Henry Turner also died suddenly. This left Sarah Jane with nine children and not much money. In 1879, Sarah Jane moved to Australia with Ethel, Lillian, and Rose. Within two years, she married Charles Cope and had a son named Rex.
School Days and Early Writing
Ethel Turner went to school at Paddington Public School in New South Wales. She also attended Sydney Girls High School. She was one of the first students when the school opened.
Ethel started her writing career when she was just 18. She and her sister Lillian started a magazine for young people called Parthenon. Ethel also wrote children's stories for newspapers like the Illustrated Sydney News. She used the pen name Dame Durden.
In 1891, her family moved to a large house called Inglewood in Lindfield, which is now Killara. This area was more like the countryside back then. The house, now known as Woodlands, is still there today. It's where Ethel wrote her most famous book, Seven Little Australians.
Family Life
In 1896, Ethel married Herbert Curlewis, who was a lawyer. They lived in Mosman, a suburb of Sydney. Later, they built their own house called Avenel. It had a beautiful view of Middle Harbour. Ethel Turner lived in Avenel for the rest of her life.
Ethel had two children: a daughter named Jean Curlewis and a son named Adrian Curlewis. Jean also became a children's writer, but she wasn't as famous as her mother. Sadly, Jean passed away at a young age. Ethel lived for 28 years after her daughter's death.
Her son, Adrian, became a lawyer and later a judge. He was also a Captain in World War II and was held as a prisoner of war in places like Changi Prison and on the Thai-Burma Railway.
Ethel Turner passed away in Mosman on April 8, 1958, when she was 85 years old. She is buried in Macquarie Park Cemetery in Sydney.
Ethel Turner's Writing Career
Ethel Turner's most famous book is her first novel, Seven Little Australians, published in 1894. This book became an instant success in Australia and other countries. It is now seen as a classic book for Australian children.
The Woolcot Family Stories
Seven Little Australians is about the adventures of the mischievous Woolcot family. It tells the story of seven lively and rebellious children growing up in Australia in the 1880s. The book's sequels, The Family at Misrule (1895) and Little Mother Meg (1902), continued the stories of the Woolcot children. Another book, Judy and Punch, was published in 1928 and was a companion to Seven Little Australians.
The book Seven Little Australians was so popular that it was made into a movie in Australia in 1939. It also became a TV series in the UK in 1953. In 1973, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation made a 10-episode TV series based on the book.
Other Books and Characters
Ethel Turner wrote more than forty novels, as well as short stories and poems. Her book Three Little Maids (1900) tells a story similar to her own family's journey from England to Sydney.
The children in her books were often adventurous and independent. They frequently found themselves in tricky situations. But they usually managed to get out of trouble with little or no help from adults.
Awards and Recognition
Ethel Turner received many important literary awards. She is considered one of Australia's most beloved authors. She is listed on The Australian Women's Register, which celebrates the achievements of Australian women.
The Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature is an award given every year. It honors her contribution to children's books.
A street in Canberra, Curlewis Crescent, is named after her and her husband.
Images for kids
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Cazneaux's portrait of Ethel Turner posing in the window of her study at her Mosman home, ‘Avenel’, 1928
