Ailsa Craig (27 February 1917 – 9 December 2012) was an Australian journalist and writer.

Biography

Craig was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on 27 February 1917. Her publican father died when she was two. She was educated at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, graduating with first-class honours which led to her employment at the university as a demonstrator in zoology. The rights to her novel, '' If Blood Should Stain the Wattle'', were bought for £150 by ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

.'' Described as "told with quiet, but compelling power in the manner of

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...

", it was serialised by that paper in April 1947. Following its publication as a book in 1947, it was later serialised on ABC Radio. She then wrote a radio serial, ''The Intruder'', for 2UW. She became a cadet journalist with ''

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...

'', then moved to ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' and was their

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

correspondent from 1954 to 1957 and is "believed to be the first woman to hold the position". Back in Australia, in 1957, she joined ''

Woman's Day ''Woman's Day'' is an American women's monthly magazine that covers such topics as homemaking, food, nutrition, physical fitness, physical attractiveness, and fashion. The print edition is one of the Seven Sisters magazines. The magazine was fir ...

'' where she worked until 1976, in a number of roles including news editor and feature writer. In the latter role, she won a

Walkley Award The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...

for Best Magazine Feature Story (Non-Fiction) in 1966''.'' Her 1974 book, ''Australia Album'', was published as a tribute to

Lillian Roxon Lillian Roxon (8 February 1932 – 10 August 1973) was a noted Australian journalist and author, best known for ''Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia'' (1969). From Italy to Australia, then the USA She was born Lillian Ropschitz in Alassio, Provi ...

. She edited the compilation of photographs and wrote stories associated with them.

Works

* '' If Blood Should Stain the Wattle'', 1947 novel * ''Australia Album: The Past in Pictures'', 1974

Death

Craig died on 9 December 2012, survived by her daughter and two sons and their families.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Ailsa 1917 births 2012 deaths Australian women journalists University of Sydney alumni Writers from Sydney