Ion Llewellyn Idriess (20 September 18896 June 1979) was a prolific and influential Australian author. He wrote more than 50 books over 43 years between 1927 and 1969 – an average of one book every 10 months, and twice published three books in one year (1932 and 1940). His first book was ''Madman's Island'', published in 1927 at the age of 38, and his last was written at the age of 79. Called ''Challenge of the North'', it told of Idriess's ideas for developing the north of Australia. Two of his works, ''The Cattle King'' (1936) and ''Flynn of the Inland'' (1932) had more than forty reprintings.

Biography

Early years

Idriess was born in

Waverley Waverley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott ** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel * Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stree ...

, a suburb of Sydney, to Juliette Windeyer (who had been born as Juliette Edmunds in 1865 at

Binalong Binalong (Bine-a-long) is a village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, 37 km north-west of Yass in Yass Valley Shire. At the , Binalong and the surrounding area had a population of 543. History Original inhabit ...

) and Walter Owen Idriess (a sheriff's officer born in 1862, who had emigrated from

Dolgellau Dolgellau () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merionet ...

, in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

). At birth Ion Idriess's name was registered as "Ion Windeyer", although he never seems to have used this name. From his late teens, he worked in rural

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, particularly in the

Narrabri Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. ...

and Moree districts. He travelled extensively around the state, working in a variety of itinerant jobs including employment as a rabbit poisoner, boundary rider, drover, prospecting for gold as well as harvesting

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus '' Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for ...

. He also worked as a shearer and

dingo The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient ( basal) lineage of dog found in Australia. Its taxonomic classification is debated as indicated by the variety of scienti ...

shooter. While working as an

opal Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline form ...

miner at Lightning Ridge in about 1910, he wrote short pieces for '' The Bulletin'' about life on the opal fields. He later headed north, working in several

tin mines Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm. History Tin extraction and use can ...

around

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

and

Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for re ...

including his own claim. In 1913 he moved to

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

, where he lived with an Aboriginal clan, learning their customs and lifestyle.

Military service

With the outbreak of war, in 1914 he returned to

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

and enlisted in the 5th Light Horse Regiment, AIF, as a trooper. He saw action in Palestine, Sinai and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

, being wounded at

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

and

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles s ...

– where he acted as spotter for noted sniper

Billy Sing William Edward Sing, Distinguished Conduct Medal, DCM (3 March 1886 – 19 May 1943) was an Australian Digger (soldier), soldier of Chinese and English descent who served in the First Australian Imperial Force, Australian Imperial Force during W ...

. After returning to Australia and recuperating from his wounds, he travelled to remote Cape York, and worked with pearlers and

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

in the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

islands and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

where he worked as a gold miner. Other ventures included buffalo shooting in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

, and journeys to Central and Western Australia.

Career as a writer

In 1928 Idriess settled in Sydney where he wrote as a freelance writer. His writing style drew on his experiences as a soldier, prospector, and bushman. He wrote on a multitude of topics, including travel, recollection, biography, history, anthropology and his own ideas on possible future events. His books were generally non-fiction, but written in a narrative, story style. Most of his books were published by

Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

. Idriess wrote from real life experiences using knowledge he had personally gained by travelling extensively and working at a variety of occupations. "Idriess was no stylist, but his writing was immediate, colourful, well paced and, despite the speed at which it was written, always well structured." Although he generally wrote under his name, some early articles for '' The Bulletin'' were written under the pseudonym of "Gouger". When travelling, Idriess was known as "Jack". In 1968 he was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for his services to literature.

Death and legacy

Idriess died at a nursing home in Mona Vale in Sydney on 6 June 1979, at the age of 89. His work slipped from favour after his death, but has experienced a renewal of interest. In 2017, Nicolas Rothwell said: "As so often in Australian letters, an initial fall into obscurity and the harsh judgments of the literary establishment serve as good indicators of a writer's pre-eminence". His work was never adapted for the screen although several books were optioned by producers.

Bibliography

1927 to 1945

*''Madman's Island'' (1927). Fiction version and Idriess's first book. Published by Cornstalk Publications. All other Idriess titles were published by

Angus and Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

. *'' Madman's Island'' (1938). Non-fiction version. *'' Lasseter's Last Ride'' (1931).

Lasseter's Reef Lasseter's Reef refers to the purported discovery, announced by Harold Bell Lasseter in 1929 and 1930, of a fabulously rich gold deposit in a remote and desolate corner of central Australia. Lasseter's accounts of the find are conflicting and its ...

gold discovery. *'' Flynn of the Inland'' (1932). Tale of John Flynn, founder of the

Royal Flying Doctor Service The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...

. *'' The Desert Column'' (1932). Diary of an AIF trooper in Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine. *'' Men of the Jungle'' (1932). Gold and tin prospecting in Queensland. *''

Gold Dust and Ashes ''Gold Dust and Ashes'' is a book by Ion Idriess set in Bulolo Bulolo is a town in Wau-Bulolo Urban LLG, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. It was once an important gold dredging centre in the former Territory of New Guinea,New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

goldfields at

Bulolo Bulolo is a town in Wau-Bulolo Urban LLG, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. It was once an important gold dredging centre in the former Territory of New Guinea,Drums of Mer'' (1933). History and legends of the

Torres Strait Islands The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, a waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They span an area of , but their total land ...

. *'' The Yellow Joss'' (1934). Collection of short stories. *'' Man Tracks'' (1935). Tracking skills of

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

of the

Kimberley region The Kimberley is the northernmost of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy Desert, Great Sandy and Tanami Desert, Tanami deserts ...

. *'' The Cattle King'' (1936). The story of Sir

Sidney Kidman Sir Sidney Kidman (9 May 18572 September 1935), known as Sid Kidman and popularly named "the Cattle King", was an Australian pastoral farming, pastoralist and entrepreneur who owned or co-owned large areas of land in Australia in his lifetime. ...

. *'' Forty Fathoms Deep'' (1937). Pearl-diving community of

Broome, Western Australia Broome, also known as Rubibi by the Yawuru people, is a coastal pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. In the the population was recorded as 14,660. It is the largest town in the Kimberley reg ...

. *'' Over the Range'' (1937). Story of the Kimberleys. *''

Lightning Ridge Lightning Ridge is a small outback town in north-western New South Wales, Australia. Part of Walgett Shire, Lightning Ridge is situated near the southern border of Queensland, about east of the Castlereagh Highway. The Lightning Ridge area i ...

'' (1940). Based on Idriess's opal prospecting experience at

. *'' Headhunters of the Coral Sea'' (1940). Story of the Torres Strait Islands. *'' The Great Trek'' (1940). Tale of July 1864 expedition to walk from

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

to Somerset Bay near the tip of

to establish a settlement, "Somerset". *'' Nemarluk: King of the Wilds'' (1941). An indigenous Australian "outlaw" jailed at

Fannie Bay Gaol Fannie Bay Gaol is a historic gaol in Fannie Bay, Northern Territory, Australia. The gaol operated as Her Majesty's Gaol and Labour Prison, from 20 September 1883 until 1 September 1979. History In 1888, Deputy Sheriff (and later Government ...

in Darwin. *'' The Great Boomerang'' (1941). A scheme for developing the

Australian outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...

. *''The Silent Service Action'' (1944). Stories of submarine warfare. Written with T.M. Jones. *'' Horrie the Wog-dog'' (1945).

Horrie the Wog Dog Horrie the Wog Dog was the unofficial mascot for the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion of the Second Australian Imperial Force. An Egyptian terrier, the dog was befriended by a soldier serving in the unit when it was stationed in Egypt during the Sec ...

's adventures with the AIF in Egypt, Greece, Crete and Palestine. Written with Jim Moody.

1945 to 1969

*'' In Crocodile Land'' (1946). Travels across Queensland and the Northern Territory, fishing, hunting and trading. *'' Isles of Despair'' (1947). Story of a shipwrecked Scotswoman (Barbara Thomson) in the Torres Strait Islands. *'' The Opium Smugglers'' (1947). Chinese opium smuggling on Cape York. *'' Stone of Destiny'' (1948). Diamond mining and exploration in Australia. Later edition titled ''The Diamond – Stone of Destiny''. *'' One Wet Season'' (1949). Experiences in the Kimberley Region. *'' The Wild White Man of Badu'' (1950). Story of a ruthless man's ambition to establish an empire among the islands of the Torres Strait. Complements the author's previous, related book ''Isles of Despair''. *'' Across the Nullarbor'' (1951). Story of Idriess's own drive across the Nullarbor from Sydney to Perth and return in a Peugeot 203. *'' Outlaws of the Leopolds'' (1952). A story told from the aboriginal point of view, set in the then known King Leopold Ranges in Western Australia. *'' The Red Chief'' (1953). A story of

Cumbo Gunnerah Gambu Ganuurru, or Cumbo Gunnerah in an older spelling, also known as the Red Chief, or Red Kangaroo was a Kamilaroi (Gamilaraay) man who lived in the area that is now the town of Gunnedah in north-west New South Wales in the 18th century. He ha ...

, Indigenous Australian life and military strategy in New South Wales before European settlement. *'' The Nor'-westers'' (1954). Story of pioneering in the Kimberley region. *'' The Vanished People'' (1955). Social anthropology. *''The Silver City'' (1956). A history of

Broken Hill Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...

. *''Coral Sea Calling'' (1957). Tales of northern Australia. *'' Back o' Cairns'' (1958). Story of gold prospecting in the far north. *'' The Tin Scratchers'' (1959). Story of tin mining in the far north. *''

The Wild North ''The Wild North'' (also known as ''The Big North'', ''Constable Pedley'', ''The Constable Pedley Story'', ''The Wild North Country'' and ''North Country'') is a 1952 American Western film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Stewart Grange ...

'' (1960). Stories of the North of Australia. *'' Tracks of Destiny'' (1961). History and future possibilities for the development of northern Australia. *'' My Mate Dick'' (1962). Stories and anecdotes of prospecting in Queensland. *'' Our Living Stone Age'' (1963). A work of popular anthropology. *''Our Stone Age Mystery'' (1964). Part-two to ''Our Living Stone Age''. *'' Challenge of the North'' (1969). More ideas for developing Australia's north.

Other works

Idriess wrote a number other books and pamphlets as well as having several collections of his works published. ;The ''Mining and Prospecting series'' A series of four titles which were basically "how-to" works, the first being commissioned by the Australian government as a means of opening up of the "outback" during the depression years. *'' Prospecting for Gold'' (1931) *''Cyaniding for Gold'' (1939) *''Fortunes in Minerals'' (1941) *''Opals and Sapphires'' (1967) ;Pamphlets *'' Must Australia Fight?'' (1939). A political strategy – basically World War II propaganda. *''Onward Australia'' (1945). More propaganda, covering post-war development, and Australia taking its role in the region and the world. ;Collections *''Gems from Ion Idriess'' (1949). A collection of extracts, published for schools. *''Ion Idriess's Greatest Stories'' (1986). A recent, two-volume set of six of the most popular titles. ::Volume I: Flynn of the Inland, The Cattle King and Lasseter's Last Ride; ::Volume II: The Desert Column, Lightning Ridge and The Silver City. *''The National Edition'' (1938, reissued 1941). A set of all of Idriess's works up to 1938 published as a uniform set of 12 hardback volumes. ;The ''Australian Guerilla'' series Written as a set of specialist military handbooks for the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

for the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. *''Australian Guerilla – Shoot to Kill'' (1942). Practical details on accurate shooting. *''Australian Guerilla – Sniping'' (1942). Tactics for concealment and stalking, and how to identify an enemy's position by drawing fire. *''Australian Guerilla – Guerilla Tactics'' (1942). Bomb making, booby-traps and mines. *''Australian Guerilla – Trapping the Jap'' (1943). Particularly aimed at the expected Japanese military invasion of Australia. *''Australian Guerilla – Lurking Death'' (1943). Stories of snipers in Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine *''Australian Guerilla – The Scout'' (1943)

Notes

References

* * (bibliographic details) * (another partial biography) * (more details on his books)
Ion Idriess
at

AustLit AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature), usually referred to simply as AustLit, is an internet-based, non-profit collaboration betwee ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Idriess, Ion 1889 births 1979 deaths Australian military historians Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Writers from Sydney 20th-century Australian historians Australian people of Welsh descent Australian stockmen