Eric Rolls was born to a farming family, and was first educated through the New South Wales Correspondence School. He went to Fort Street High School, then served with the Australian Imperial Force in Papua New Guinea and Bougainville. From 1948 till 1986 he farmed in the central-north of New South Wales.
A writer for both adults and children, Rolls' work is energetic and reflects a range of moods and styles. As well as poetry, he has written a number of prose works on a diverse range of topics. These range from Australia's natural history and conservation, such as in From Forest to Sea : Australia's Changing Environment (1993) and Australia : A Biography (2000), to food (A Celebration of Food and Wine (1997) and a two-volume history, Sojourners : the epic story of China's centuries-old relationship with Australia (1992) and its sequel Citizens (1996). In 1995 Rolls was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Canberra, and in 1991 he became an Australian Creative Fellow.
Major source : Oxford Companion to Australian Literature
A Million Wild Acres : 200 Years of Man and an Australian Forest
Melbourne
:
Nelson
,
1981
Z816342
1981
single work
non-fiction
'Here is a contentious story of men and their passion for land; of occupation and settlement; of destruction and growth. By following the tracks of these pioneers who crossed the Blue Mountains into northern New South Wales, Eric Rolls - poet, farmer and self-taught naturalist - has written the history of European settlement in Australia. He evokes the ruthlessness and determination of the first settlers who worked the land -- a land they knew little about.