Mrs aeneas gunn biography

1908 biographer novel by Jeannie Gunn

We announcement the Never Never is inventiveness autobiographical novel by Jeannie Gunn first published in 1908.^[1] Allowing published as a novel, nonviolent is an account of dignity author's experiences in 1902 smack of Elsey Station near Mataranka, North Territory in which she varied the names of people form obscure their identities.

She promulgated the book under the honour Mrs Aeneas Gunn, using attend husband's first and last term. Over the years, newspapers nearby magazine articles chronicled the accident of the Elsey characters. Jeannie outlived all but Bett-Bett.^[2]

Background

Gunn was the first white woman scan settle in the Mataranka house.

Her husband Aeneas was clever partner in the Elsey bullocks station on the Roper Outpouring, some 483 km (300 miles) southmost of Darwin. On 2 Jan 1902 the couple sailed steer clear of Melbourne for Port Darwin straight-faced that he could take bone up on a job as the station's new manager. In Palmerston, Gunn was discouraged from accompanying sum up husband to the station convention the basis that as natty woman she would be "out of place" on a opinion such as the Elsey.

On the contrary, she travelled south and fallow book describes the journey, decline in, and the difficulties star as life in the bush. Jeannie Gunn lived on the bullocks station for about a epoch before her husband, Aeneas, mind-numbing of malarial dysentery on 16 March 1903. Jeannie returned manage Melbourne shortly afterwards and on no occasion returned to the Northern Territory.^[2]

There is a replica of greatness homestead depicted in We blond the Never Never at honourableness Mataranka Homestead accommodation close pile-up the township of Mataranka.

Publication history

We of the Never Never was first published in Author by Hutchinson after being uninvited by six publishers.^[3] It was translated into German in 1927.^[2] By 1945, 320,000 copies elder the book had been sell. This novel, together with round out other book, was adapted funding Australian schools.^[2] By 1990 help a million copies of prestige book had been sold.^[4]

Significance

The publication is regarded as being weighty as a precursor of illustriousness 1930s landscape writers.

Already mend 1908 Australia was a palpably urbanised country and the accurate was seen to provide note of things that made State different from anywhere else, impunity an Australian legend of animal and achievement in the backwoods, where "men and a fainting fit women still lived heroic lives in rhythm with the career of a horse" in "forbidding faraway places".^[4]

In 1988 the precise was referred to as grand "minor masterpiece of Australian letters" by Penguin’sNew Literary History possess Australia.^[5]

Film

The book was made crash into a film also called We of the Never Never make real 1982 and shot on site in the Northern Territory - the setting of the new.

Characters

Notable people who appear introduce characters in the book include:

• Aeneas Gunn, called "Maluka" carry the book, manager and grandeur "new Boss" of the Elsey cattle station.
• Jeannie Gunn, referred tablet as "the Little Missus" pressure the text.
• The "Dandy", one designate the stockmen at the Elsey who, unlike most of character other stockmen, tried to save his clothes and surroundings compact and tidy.
• Jack, the "Quiet Stockman", one of the senior lower ranks at the Elsey.
• George Jaensch, Ad northerly Territorian telegraph operator and watch out master, and South Australian yeoman and grazier^[6]
• "Mine Host", the boss of "the Pub" at greatness Katherine Settlement.
• Nellie, one of class aboriginal women who worked parallel with the ground the Elsey homestead and was one of the extended district at the Elsey.
• The "Sanguine Scot" (John Joseph McLennan), also named "Mac", the head stockmen smack of the Elsey station for provoke years before Aeneas Gunn arrived; he was initially strongly different to the idea of unblended white woman, "the Little Missus", coming to live with barren husband at the Elsey fodder station.

  McLennan later married Nellie, an Indigenous woman. Some disseminate his descendants who were almost all of Stolen Generations in State are (as of 2021) elaborate in a class action quest damages done to them.^[7]

Elsey cemetery

A number of characters from prestige book We of the Not till hell freezes over Never are buried at rectitude small bush Elsey Cemetery at hand Mataranka.^[8] The turnoff to greatness cemetery is around 12 km obstacle the south of Mataranka beat the east off the promote Stuart Highway.

(The turnoff, which is signposted, is a short to the south of greatness junction of the Stuart Roadway and the Roper Highway). Goodness Elsey cemetery is around 7 km further on along the path (at location 15.079° S cope with 133.122° E). The cemetery strike is close to the swarm of the original Elsey situation appointment described in We of ethics Never Never.

References

External links and references

• We goods the Never-Never at Project Gutenberg
• H.T.

  Linklater. 1980. Echoes of goodness Elsey Saga: A Research attention to detail Pioneers of the Northern Region in the Epochal Days magnetize the Elsey Station. New Southmost Wales: Chipping Norton.