Born in New Zealand in 1923, Ruth Park spent her early childhood in a remote part of the North Island. After graduating from the University of Auckland, she trained as a journalist and children’s editor, becoming children’s editor of The Auckland Star. In 1942 she married writer D’Arcy Niland and travelled with him through outback Australia, working on a variety of jobs from shearer’s cook to fruit picker – all of which provided a rich source of material for her later writings. Ruth Park has written over 50 books including 10 novels and 27 children’s books, as well as radio, film and television scripts, and several travel and educational works. She has won numerous awards, including the Sydney Morning Herald Prize for The Harp in the South, the Miles Franklin Award for Swords and Crowns and Rings, and the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award and the Boston Globe award for Playing Beatie Bow. Ruth Park also received the 1993 Lloyd O’Neil Magpie Award for services to the Australian book industry.
