Territory Stories

Jeannie Gunn

Details:

Title

Jeannie Gunn,

Creator

Gunn, Jeannie, Taylor, Jeannie,

Name

Jeannie Gunn,

Collection

Territory Women, HistoryNT,

Place of birth

Melbourne (Vic.),

Date of birth

1870-06-05,

Occupation

Author,

Date of death

1961-06-09,

Place of death

Hawthorn (Vic.),

Place of burial

Melbourne General Cemetery (Vic.),

Description

Photographs from Library & Archives NT : PH0147/0068 - Jeannie Gunn - J. Graeme Bucknall Collection,

Honours and awards

1939 Order of the British Empire,

Biographical notes

Jeannie met her husband Aeneas James Gunn in Melbourne they were married on 31 December 1901. At that time he was a partner in Elsey cattle station on the Roper River, some 300 miles (483 km) south of Darwin. In January 1902 the newly married coupled sailed to Port Darwin so James could start his new position as Station Manager at the Elsey cattle station. After 13 months Aeneas died of malarial dysentery and Jeannie returned Melbourne to live with her father in Hawthorn and never returned to the Northern Territory. Although her time was relatively short in the Northern Territory friends encouraged Jeannie to write about her experiences, because of the stories she told and letters she had sent to them about life on the station. Over the next few years she wrote two books titled 'The Little Black Princess: a True Tale of life in the Never-Never Land' published in 1905 and 'We of the Never-Never' published in 1908. By 1931 she was famous and ranked third among Australian novelists. Her books have been adapted for schools and were translated into German in the 1920s. By 1990 over 1 million copies of 'We of the Never Never' had been sold. Jeannie Gunn's books are Australian Classics and have been read and cherished for generations. Mrs Aeneas Gunn passed away on 9 June 1961 four days after celebrating her 91st birthday.,

Subject

Women, Northern Territory,

File type

image/tiff,

Related links

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/17254 [PictureNT : Jeannie Gunn's tree showing carved initials], https://hdl.handle.net/10070/2478 [PictureNT : Replica of Elsey Homestead], https://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A090134b.htm [Australian Dictionary of Biography : Gunn, Jeannie (1870 - 1961)], https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/7919165 [Gunn, Aeneas. The Little Black Princess of the Never-Never. Sydney : Angus & Robertson, 1962.], https://hdl.handle.net/10070/141772 [PublicationNT : MacIntyre, E. F. (Eileen F.). Australian Women's Army Service in the Northern Territory, 1942-1946. Melbourne : E. F. Macintyre, 1984.], https://hdl.handle.net/10070/213225 [PublicationNT : Northern Territory Archives Service newsletter, no. 24. Darwin : NT Archives Service, October 2001.], https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/6416140 ["Australian Dictionary of Biography." Carlton, Vic. : Melbourne University Press, 1966-.], https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/9517757 [Nesdale, Iris. The Little Missus : Mrs. Aeneas Gunn. Blackwood, S.Aust. : Lynton Publications, 1977.], https://hdl.handle.net/10070/153126 [PublicationNT : Dewar, Mickey. 'Snorters, Fools and Little 'Uns' : Sexual Politics and Territory Writing in the South Australian Period. Darwin: State Library of the Northern Territory, 1992.], https://hdl.handle.net/10070/153115 [PublicationNT : Forrest, Peter. They of the Never Never. Darwin : Northern Territory Library Service, 1990.], https://hdl.handle.net/10070/138959 [IndexNT : "Descendants regain Never Never land", NT News, 23 February 2000.], https://hdl.handle.net/10070/178588 [PublicationNT : A.W.A.S. From the North to the South : Xmas Greetings. Melbourne: Fraser & Jenkinson, 1940.], https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/5720415 [Gunn, Aeneas. We of the Never-Never. Richmond, Vic. : Hutchinson of Australia, 1977.], https://hdl.handle.net/10070/32849 [PictureNT : Grave of the 'Maluka'], https://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0562b.htm [Australian's Women's Register: Gunn, Jeannie (Mrs Aeneas) (1870-1961)], https://hdl.handle.net/10070/12453 [PictureNT : PH0147/0068 Jeannie Gunn - J. Graeme Bucknall Collection],

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/218147, https://hdl.handle.net/10070/219848,

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/810620