NLA image of person
Mary Durack Mary Durack i(A19395 works by) (a.k.a. Mrs H. Miller)
Also writes as: Mary Durack Miller ; An Australian Child ; Virgilia ; M. Durack ; Aunt Mary ; George Hurley
Born: Established: 20 Feb 1913 Adelaide, South Australia, ; Died: Ceased: 16 Dec 1994 Perth, Western Australia,
Gender: Female
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

BiographyHistory

Mary Durack was educated at Loreto Convent in Perth, Western Australia after spending her early childhood on the Durack family properties in the Kimberley region. She returned to the Argyle and Ivanhoe stations in the Kimberleys during the 1930s' Depression and in 1935, with her sister Elizabeth Durack (q.v.), they published All-About: The Story of a Black Community on Argyle Station, Kimberley. Soon after, Mary Durack also began writing a newspaper column for The West Australian under the pseudonym "Virgilia". Mary Durack remained a prolific writer through the next six decades. She was the patron of the Australian Society of Women Writers. She was married to the pioneer aviator Horrie Miller (q.v.) and was the mother of Robin Miller (q.v.)

In 1966 she was awarded an OBE and in 1978 she was made a Dame (DBE). She received numerous other honours including an Hon D Litt from the University of Western Australia and was a Foundation Fellow of Curtin University.

The Durack family papers are held at the JS Battye Library (MN71)

Most Referenced Works

Affiliation Notes

  • Born in SA but moved to WA

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon The Courteous Savage : Yagan of Swan River Melbourne : Nelson , 1964 Z420441 1964 single work biography children's
1965 Commended CBCA Book of the Year Awards Book of the Year Award for the 1964 publication
y separately published work icon Kings in Grass Castles London : Constable , 1959 Z419305 1959 single work biography

'‘... far better than any novel; an incomparable record of a great family and of a series of great actions.' The Bulletin When Patrick Durack left Western Ireland for Australia in 1853, he was to found a pioneering dynasty and build a cattle empire across the great stretches of Australia. With a profound sense of family history, his grand-daughter, Mary Durack reconstructed the Durack saga - a story of intrepid men and ground-breaking adventure. This sweeping tale of Australia and Australians remains a classic nearly fifty years on.' (2008 Publication summary)

1997 winner National Library of Australia National Audio Book-of-the-Year Award The TDK Australian Audio Book Awards TDK Australian Audio Book Awards Unabridged Non-Fiction Category
1995 winner National Library of Australia National Audio Book-of-the-Year Award The TDK Australian Audio Book Awards TDK Australian Audio Book Awards Abridged Non-Fiction Category
1995 winner The TDK Australian Audio Book Awards Abridged Non-fiction
Last amended 2 Mar 2020 17:00:33
Other mentions of "" in AustLit:
    X