Rosemary Neville Wighton (6 January 1925 – 7 February 1994) was an Australian literary editor, author and adviser to the South Australian government on women's affairs.

Early life and education

Rosemary Neville Wighton was born on 6 January 1925, the third child of Arthur Seaforth and Rose Ada (née Kelly) Blackburn. Her father was the first South Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross. She was educated at the

Wilderness School , motto_translation = Always True , established = 1884 , type = Independent, day and boarding , denomination = Non-denominational , slogan = , principal ...

before attending the University of Adelaide, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (honours).

Career

Following graduation Wighton tutored in English at the University of Adelaide in 1946. After her marriage, between 1950 and 1958 she tutored part-time. Wighton married Dugald Wighton in St Peter's College Chapel, Adelaide on 22 May 1948. In 1961 she and Max Harris became founding editors of the

Australian Book Review ''Australian Book Review'' is an Australian arts and literary review. Created in 1961, ''ABR'' is an independent non-profit organisation that publishes articles, reviews, commentaries, essays, and new writing. The aims of the magazine are 'to ...

. From 1971 to 1979 Wighton lectured at the Salisbury College of Advanced Education, specialising in children's literature. She was appointed to the Literature Board in 1974 and chaired it from 1984 to 1988. In 1979 she wrote the introduction to a facsimile edition of ''A mother's offering to her children'' by

Charlotte Barton Charlotte Atkinson (1796–1867) was the author of Australia's earliest known children's book. The book titled ''A Mother's Offering to her Children: By a Lady, Long Resident in New South Wales.'' Sydney: Gazette Office was published in 1841. An ...

. This book is believed to be the first Australian book for children, originally published in 1841. From 1979 to 1984 she was adviser on women's affairs to the South Australian premier. In July 1983 she was appointed member of the Family Law Council by Attorney-General Gareth Evans.

Works

* ''Early Australian Children's Literature'', Lansdowne, 1963 * ''Kangaroo Tales: A Collection of Australian Stories for Children'', selected by Rosemary Wighton, with illustrations by

Donald Friend Donald Stuart Leslie Friend (6 February 1915 – 16 August 1989) was an Australian artist and diarist who lived much of his life overseas. He has been the subject of controversy since the posthumous publication of diaries in which he wrote of sex ...

, Penguin, 1963 * ''Peeling the Onion: The Story of a Family'', self-published, 1993

Awards and recognition

At the University of Adelaide she won the Roby Fletcher Prize for Psychology in 1942. In her final year she received first-class honours in English and won the

John Howard Clark John Howard Clark (15 January 1830 – 20 May 1878) was editor of ''The South Australian Register'' from 1870 to 1877 and was responsible for its ''Echoes from the Bush'' column and closely associated with its ''Geoffry Crabthorn'' persona. ...

prize. In the 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours Wighton was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) for "public service, to literature and to the community".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wighton, Rosemary 1925 births 1994 deaths Officers of the Order of Australia 20th-century Australian women writers 20th-century Australian writers Blackburn family