Meme McDonald
Meme McDonald (19 July 1954 – 23 December 2017) was an Australian writer, artistic director and advocate for Indigenous reconciliation.
Early life and education
McDonald was born on 19 July 1954 in St George, Queensland. Living on the land, she was taught by her mother until age eight, when she was sent away to boarding school. She later attended the Victorian College of Arts, where she studied dramatic art. She also held a BA from the University of Queensland and an MA from the University of Melbourne.[1]
Career
After graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts, McDonald and others founded WEST Theatre Company. She was artistic director there from 1979 to 1986.[1]
McDonald died on 23 December 2017 at Spring Hill, Victoria.[2]
Awards and recognition
Three of the books she co-authored with Boori Monty Pryor won awards:
- My Girragundji won the 1999 Children's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers.[3]
- The Binna Binna Man won Book of the Year, as well as the Ethnic Affairs Commission award and Ethel Turner Prize for young people's literature at the 2000 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.[3]
- Njunjul the Sun won the Prize for Young Adult Fiction at the 2002 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards.[4]
In 2012 McDonald received the Australia Council Ros Bower Award for Community Arts and Cultural Development.[5]
Works
- The Way of the Birds: A child and curlew travel across the world, 1996
- Maybe Tomorrow, with Boori Monty Pryor, 1998
- Girragundji Trilogy
- My Girragundji, with Boori Monty Pryor, 1998
- The Binna Binna Man, with Boori Monty Pryor, 1999
- Njunjul the Sun, with Boori Monty Pryor, 2002
- Flytrap, with Boori Monty Pryor, 2002
- Sister Chick Flies the Way of the Birds, 2002
- Love Like Water, 2007
References
- ^ a b Lovell, Grace (2 March 2018). "Meme McDonald, writer, director and creative spirit". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Vale Meme McDonald". Creative Victoria. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Meme McDonald". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Prize for Young Adult Fiction, Premier's Literary Awards, State Library of Victoria". www2.slv.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Australia Council Awards". Australia Council. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
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- Rummage by Christobel Mattingley (1982)
- Thing by Robin Klein (1983)
- Bernice Knows Best by Max Dann (1984)
- Something Special by Emily Rodda (1985)
- Arkwright by Mary Steele (1986)
- Pigs Might Fly by Emily Rodda (1987)
- My Place by Nadia Wheatley (1988)
- The Best-Kept Secret by Emily Rodda (1989)
- Pigs and Honey by Jeanie Adams (1990)
- Finders Keepers by Emily Rodda (1991)
- The Magnificent Nose and Other Marvels by Anna Fienberg (1992)
- The Bamboo Flute by Garry Disher (1993)
- Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda (1994)
- Ark in the Park by Wendy Orr (1995)
- Swashbuckler by James Moloney (1996)
- Hannah Plus One by Libby Gleeson (1997)
- Someone Like Me by Elaine Forrestal (1998)
- My Girragunji by Meme McDonald and Boori Pryor (1999)
- Hitler's Daughter by Jackie French (2000)
- Two Hands Together by Diana Kidd (2001)
- My Dog by John Heffernan (2002)
- Rain May and Captain Daniel by Catherine Bateson (2003)
- Dragonkeeper by Carole Wilkinson (2004)
- The Silver Donkey by Sonya Hartnett (2005)
- Helicopter Man by Elizabeth Fensham (2006)
- Being Bee by Catherine Bateson (2007)
- Dragon Moon by Carole Wilkinson (2008)
- Perry Angel's Suitcase by Glenda Millard (2009)
- Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool by Odo Hirsch (2010)
- The Red Wind by Isobelle Carmody (2011)
- Crow Country by Kate Constable (2012)
- The Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett (2013)
- City Of Orphans: A Very Unusual Pursuit by Catherine Jinks (2014)
- The Cleo Stories: The Necklace and the Present by Libby Gleeson (2015)
- Soon by Morris Gleitzman (2016)
- Rockhopping by Trace Balla (2017)
- How To Bee by Bren MacDibble (2018)
- His Name Was Winter by Emily Rodda (2019)
- The Little Wave by Pip Harry (2020)
- Aster's Good, Right Things by Kate Gordon (2021)
- A Glasshouse of Stars by Shirley Marr (2022)
- Runt by Craig Silvey (2023)
- Scar Town by Tristan Bancks (2024)
- Picture Book (1955–present)
- Early Childhood (2001–present)
- Older Readers (1946–present)
- Eve Pownall Award for Information Books (1988–present)