Jill Kitson (10 January 1939 – 13 May 2013) was an Australian radio broadcaster and literary journalist. Jill Middleton Cameron was born an only child 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 ...

. She attended

Ascham School , motto_translation = With Heart and Soul , established = , type = Independent, day and boarding , gender = Girls , educational_authority = , oversight = , district = , denomination = , slogan = , ...

, becoming school captain, then majored in history and political philosophy 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 ...

. Working in

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 ...

, she met Michael Kitson, marrying him in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in 1964, and having two sons, Michael and Max. They also worked in Japan, before returning to England. Her book ''The British to the Antipodes'' was published in 1972. They returned to Australia in 1974, living in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

."Broadcaster with a passion for language", ''The Age'', 1 June 2013, p. 35 Among other things, she broadcast the ''Lingua Franca'' programmes on Australia's ABC (

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

) radio. She also presented the literary programmes "First Edition" and ''Book Talk'' (1998–2006). She previously worked as a literary editor for the publisher McPhee Gribble and was a judge of the

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

, an Australian award for fiction, and the Australian/Vogel Literary Award, an award for a work of fiction by a writer under 35 years. On retirement in 2005, she moved to

Wentworth Falls, New South Wales Wentworth Falls ( postcode: 2782) is a town in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, situated approximately west of the Sydney central business district, and about east of Katoomba, Australia on the Great Western Highway, with a W ...

, and joined the board of

Varuna, The Writers' House Varuna, The National Writers’ House is Australia's national residential writers' house located in Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. The former home of writers Eleanor and Eric Dark, it was gifted to the Australia ...

in Katoomba. Jill Kitson died on 13 May 2013 at home. She was 74.Vale Jill Kitson
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References

1939 births 2013 deaths Australian radio personalities Australian women radio presenters People educated at Ascham School University of Sydney alumni {{australia-radio-bio-stub