Nan Hunt (1918–2015) was an Australian children's writer who also wrote as N. L. Ray. She was a two-time winner of the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature.

Life and career

Nancy Louise Ray was born on 16 September 1918 and grew up in Bathurst, New South Wales. Educated at Bathurst High School, she contributed stories to her school newspaper and also to ''The Sun''. From 1935 to 1943 she did office work in a Bathurst department store. In 1943 she enlisted in the WAAF and served in Melbourne in clerical roles until 1946, when she moved to Sydney, where she worked as a secretary until her marriage to Walter Gibbs Hunt in 1968. She contributed to the NSW ''

School Magazine A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

'' from 1963 and was encouraged by its editor,

Patricia Wrightson Patricia Wrightson OBE (19 June 1921 – 15 March 2010) was an Australian writer of several highly regarded and influential children's books. Employing a 'magic realism' style, her books, including the award-winning ''The Nargun and the Stars' ...

, to write a novel, the first of many. Hunt won the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature at the New South Wales Premier's Literature Awards twice, firstly in 1982 for ''Whistle Up the Chimney'', illustrated by Craig Smith, and then in 1988 for ''A Rabbit Named Harris'', illustrated by Betina Ogden. ''Whistle Up the Chimney'' was also commended in the 1982 Children's Picture Book of the Year awards, the judges commenting that "text itself is excellent in style, with good use of language and an infectious sense of fun".

Selected works

As Nan Hunt

* ''Whistle Up the Chimney'', illustrated by Craig Smith (1981) * ''A Rabbit Named Harris'', illustrated by Betina Ogden (1987) * ''Never Tomorrow'' (1989) * ''The Dove Tree'', illustrated by Alison Kubbos (1991)

As N. L. Ray

* ''There Was This Man Running...'' (1979) * ''Nightmare to Nowhere'' (1980)

Death and legacy

Hunt died in Bathurst, New South Wales on 4 October 2015. She was predeceased by her husband in 1975. Her papers, including manuscripts and correspondence, are held in the

Lu Rees Archives The National Centre for Australian Children's Literature, formerly known as the Lu Rees Archives, is a not-for-profit study and research centre housed at the University of Canberra. The founding donation was by Lu Rees. Its director in 2018 was ...

at the

University of Canberra The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Nan 1918 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Australian women writers Australian children's writers People from Bathurst, New South Wales