Adam-Smith, Patsy (1924–2001)

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Adam-Smith, Patsy (1924–2001)

Australian historian. Name variations: Patricia Jean Adam-Smith; Patricia Jean Beckett; Patsy Adam Smith. Born Patricia Jean Smith, May 31, 1924, in Nowingi, Victoria, Australia; died Sept 21, 2001, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; grew up throughout remote districts of Victoria; father was a fettler on the railway; mother tended small-town train or post stations.

One of Australia's best-known writers, was educated through correspondence school; during WWII, served with the Australian Medical Women's Service (1943–44); was the 1st woman radio operator on an Australian merchant ship (1954–60); subsequently served as an adult education officer in Hobart (1960–67) and manuscripts field officer for the State Library of Victoria (1970–82); served as president of Australian Writers, Victoria, and federal president of the Fellows Australian Writers, Victoria (1973); published The Anzacs (1978), which shared The Age Book of the Year Award and was later made into a popular 13-part tv series; roamed the world researching history, folklore, and tradition; wrote 28 books, including the semi-autobiographical Hear the Train Blow (1964) and Good-Bye Girlie (1995), as well as Moonbird People (1965), Australian Women at War (1984), and Prisoners of War (1992). Awarded OBE (1980) and Officer of the Order of Australia (1994).

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