Cirrus@Austlit

Richard Beilby, the son of Malaysian plantation owners, lived most of his life in Western Australia. During the Second Warld War he served in the AIF in North Africa, Greece, Crete and New Guinea. Prior to becoming a full-time novelist in 1970, Beilby worked in a number of occupations including truck driver, painter, insurance salesman and part-time union organiser.

Beilby's novels have explored such issues as the experiences of war, and the tensions between aboriginal and white cultures in an urban environment. Beilby became Vice President of the Western Australian Branch of the Australian Society of Authors in 1972, and continued to serve that organisation for many years. He was later made an Honorary Life Member of the Fellowship of Australian Writers.