John Gunn John Gunn i(A28407 works by)
Born: Established: 1925 Northumberland,
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England,
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United Kingdom (UK),
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Western Europe, Europe,
;
Gender: Male
Heritage: English
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BiographyHistory

John Gunn was born in England and moved to Australia aged three. He was a destroyer navigator during World War II and was later a Fleet Air Arm Pilot. After the war, he acted as a consultant to several companies, including Rolls Royce, the British Aircraft Corporation and TAA. He was also the literary guide to the ABC Argonaut's Club for fifteen years.

Gunn wrote many children's books during the 1950s and 1960s. His novel for young readers, Sea Menace (1958), was a joint-winner of the Book of the Year Award of the Children's Book Council and his Peter Kent series consolidated his reputation. As literary guide to the Argonaut's Club, he edited three books written by the membership. In addition to fiction, Gunn wrote a number of information books for children, such as Flying for You: A Career in Aviation (1955). Gunn is also widely admired for his contributions to aviation history, winning the H. T. Priestly Memorial Medal for The Defeat of Distance (1985), a history of the early years of Qantas.

Gunn continued his diverse output in the 1990s, completing the novel, Water Hazard (1995), a history of Trans-Australia Airlines, Contested Skies (1999) and the play, Hildegard, which premiered in St Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane, in May 1999.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Sea Menace London : Constable , 1958 Z818896 1958 single work children's fiction children's adventure

'Early last century Paul Harris and his cousin and uncle sailed out from England, planning to farm in New South Wales. Their ship founders and they are rescued by a mysterious "whaler" manned by unscrupulous men.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1959 joint winner CBCA Book of the Year Awards Book of the Year Award With Devil's Hill
Last amended 1 Feb 2005 09:38:20
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