Russel Ward
Born(1914-11-09)9 November 1914
Adelaide, South Australia
Died13 August 1995(1995-08-13) (aged 80)
Texas, Queensland
AwardsErnest Scott Prize (1958)
Member of the Order of Australia (1986)
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Adelaide (BA [Hons], MA)
Australian National University (PhD)
ThesisThe ethos and influence of the Australian pastoral worker (1956)
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of New England
Main interestsAustralian culture and identity
Notable worksThe Australian Legend (1958)

Russel Braddock Ward AM (9 November 1914 – 13 August 1995) was an Australian historian best known for writing The Australian Legend (1958), an examination of the development of the "Australian character", which was awarded the Ernest Scott Prize.

Early life and education

His parents were Florence Winifred Ward, née Braddock and John Frederick Ward, a teacher. Russel attended three schools at which his father worked. In the early 1920s, his father joined the staff of Thornburgh College, in Charters Towers, Queensland. In 1923, J. F. Ward was appointed founding headmaster of Wesley College, Perth. Russel completed his schooling at Prince Alfred College (PAC), Adelaide after his father became headmaster there in the early 1930s.[1] At PAC Ward was a busy student, serving as prefect and on numerous committees including debating, rowing, christian union, cadets and historical society of which he was president.[2]

Early career

Ward studied English at the University of Adelaide and taught at Geelong and Sydney Grammar Schools. During World War II he served in an army psychological unit. Ward's membership of the Communist Party of Australia (1941 to 1949) brought him to the attention of ASIO; and, in 1984, he appeared before the Hope Royal Commission on Australia's security and intelligence agencies stating that ASIO had harassed him for 40 years.[3]

Academic career

Ward was at the University of New England as a lecturer in the 1950s and deputy chancellor for eight years.

In his book, The Australian Legend, Ward argued that the Australian bush was egalitarian and that this influenced Australian culture. Ward's book was both influential and controversial and is grouped among the classic historical references on Australia history.[3] In the 40 years since its first publication, there were three editions and it has been reprinted 15 times.[4]

His thesis in Legend was later challenged by Humphrey McQueen in 1970.[5] It would influence the development of the Australian New Left.[6][7]

In the 1986 Queen's Birthday honours Ward was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "service to literature, particularly in the field of Australian history".[8]

Ward died in Texas, Queensland on August 13, 1995, at the home of his partner, Jeané Upjohn.[9]

Legacy

The Russel Ward Annual Lecture was established in his honour by the University of New England in 1986.[10]

Bibliography

  • Man Makes History (1952) Shakespeare Head Press, Sydney
  • Felons and Folksongs (1955) Canberra University College, Canberra
  • The Australian Legend (1958) Oxford University Press, Melbourne
  • Australia (1967) Ure Smith, Sydney
  • A Nation for a Continent: The History of Australia, 1901–1975 (1977) Heinemann Educational Australia, Richmond
  • Australia Since the Coming of Man (1982) Lansdowne Press, Sydney
  • Finding Australia: The History of Australia to 1821 (1987) Heinemann Educational Australia, Richmond
  • A Radical Life: The Autobiography of Russel Ward (1988) Macmillan, South Melbourne

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ward, Russel Braddock (1914–1995)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  2. ↑ Prince Alfred College chronicles, 1930-1932, https://pac.edu.au/news-events/publications/pac-chronicle/
  3. 1 2 Stephens, Tony (17 May 2003). "Mate, you're a legend". Sydney Morning Herald.
  4. ↑ Jordan, Matthew (1 December 2004). A Spirit of True Learning: The Jubilee History of the University of New England. UNSW Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-86840-663-3.
  5. ↑ McQueen, H. A New Britannia: an argument concerning the social origins of Australian radicalism and nationalism, (1970) Penguin, Ringwood, Victoria
  6. ↑ Williams-Brooks, Llewellyn (2016). "Radical Theories of Capitalism in Australia", Honours Thesis, University of Sydney, viewed 20 April 2017,
  7. ↑ Arnold, J (2000), "Australian History in Print: a bibliographical survey of influential twentieth-century texts" for the National Inquiry into School History – Appendix D: Australian History in Print: a bibliographical survey of influential twentieth-century texts Archived 6 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine, DEST
  8. ↑ "Professor Russell Braddock Ward". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  9. ↑ Beverley Kingston, "Russel Ward," Australian Dictionary of Biography, 2021, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ward-russel-braddock-29606
  10. ↑ "Russel Ward Annual Lecture". University of New England. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
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