Three Little Maids, published in 1900 is a strongly autobiographical novel about Ethel Turner’s family migration from England to Sydney, Australia. [1]
Ethel Turner was an Australian author and poet, especially known as a writer of novels for children and young adults. Her most famous book is Seven Little Australians, written in 1894.
Ethel Mary Burwell was born in 1870 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, the daughter of Bennett George and Sarah Jane Burwell, and younger sister to Lillian. Her father died when Ethel was two, and the following year Sarah Jane married widower Henry Turner. Both Lilian and Ethel would later take their step-father’s name for their professional writing careers. Sarah and Henry had a daughter, Jeannie Rose (born 1873). Henry died suddenly in 1878, leaving Sarah Jane with nine children and little income. The following year, Sarah took her three daughters to Australia, where she met Charles Cope in Sydney. Within the next two years they had married and a son, Rex was born.
Living at Paddington, near Sydney, Ethel and Lilian were educated at Sydney Girls High School where they were amongst the school’s original 37 students.
Ethel started her writing career at 18, founding the Parthenon, a journal for young people, with her sister Lilian. She wrote children’s columns for a Sydney newspaper and an Australian journal. In 1891 the family moved to Inglewood (now known as Woodlands), a large house in Lindfield (now Killara) north of Sydney, which was then considered to be in the country. Woodlands still stands today and is significant in preserving Ethel Turner’s legacy.
After the bustle of city life, Ethel found creative solace at Lindfield, and this is where she wrote her first book, Seven Little Australians, published in London in 1894. The first edition sold out in weeks and ‘Ethel Sibyl Turner’ (as she styled herself) was launched as a children’s writer.
In 1896 Ethel married Herbert Curlewis, a lawyer. The couple built a house in Mosman they named Avenel, and two children were born. She remained there for the rest of her life. Ethel Turner wrote more than forty novels, short stories and poems. She received a number of prestigious literary awards and could be considered one of Australia’s best-loved authors.
Ethel Turner died at Mosman, Sydney on 8 April 1958 at 85.
I am President of Sydney’s newest literary society ‘The Friends of Ethel Turner’ and I’d love you to be part of our group that protects this important part of Australia’s literary heritage. We issue 2 free newsletters each year packed full with information about Ethel Turner and Woodlands. Please look here for more information.
Susannah Fullerton: Friends of Ethel Turner
Susannah Fullerton: Ethel Turner marries
Susannah Fullerton: Ethel Turner dies
Susannah Fullerton: Woodlands
Susannah Fullerton Video Talk: Ethel Turner & Seven Little Australians
Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner
State Library of NSW: Ethel Turner gets personal
State Library of NSW: Manuscript of Seven Little Australians