On 1st January 1889, in the year after Ethel Turner completed her high school years at Sydney Girls’ High School, she and her sister, Lilian, began to publish their own journal, The Parthenon. This was a venture they continued to work on for over three years, and it led directly to Ethel’s writing her first novel, Seven Little Australians. [1]
Australian writer Ethel Turner died on 8 April 1958 at 85. She is best known for her novel Seven Little Australians, which was first published in 1894 and has since become a classic of Australian literature.
Ethel Turner lived a long and prolific life. Growing up in Sydney, Australia, she started her writing career while still at school, publishing a magazine with her sister. The sisters continued this practice after leaving school producing their journal for young people, the Parthenon. She also wrote children’s columns for a newspaper and magazine.
In 1891, the family moved to a large house in Lindfield, which was then a rural setting. The home, now named Woodlands still stands and it was here that she wrote her most famous book, Seven Little Australians. On her 21st birthday in 1893, Ethel made a diary note “Seven L. Aust. – sketched it out.” The local social and environmental landscapes were instrumental in the storylines, settings, and characters in most of her published work.
Marrying Herbert Curlewis, a lawyer, in 1896, Turner took her responsibilities as a married woman very seriously, yet still managed to sustain her writing. The marriage was happy, and two children were born. The family lived at Mosman, Sydney where Turner spent the rest of her years. Her keen interest in social issues meant that when she wasn’t writing or spending time with family, she volunteered for charitable causes.
Turner became prominent in Sydney’s literary and social life but still worked hard on her writing. She regularly attended official functions and was comfortable in society. Her daughter, Jean died of tuberculosis in 1930, when she was 32 and this tragedy so greatly affected Turner that, in the remaining 28 years of her life, she never produced another novel. Turner was 88 when she died on 8 April 1958 and is buried at Macquarie Park Cemetery in Sydney’s North.
Turner’s output was prodigious; in addition to her freelance writing, between 1894 and 1928 she averaged one novel per year, producing 44 books in her lifetime.
Susannah Fullerton: Ethel Turner is born
Susannah Fullerton: Ethel Turner marries
Susannah Fullerton: Friends of Ethel Turner & Woodlands
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