Ross McKay Campbell (26 December 1910 – 24 February 1982) was an Australian humorist.
History
Campbell was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, eldest son of Alice Jean Nicol Campbell, née Paulin, (died 1949) and Douglas McKay Campbell (1884–1960), goldfields inspector and a member of the Kalgoorlie Operatic Society known for humorous performances and organisational ability.
Around 1912 the family moved to Melbourne, living at 13 Denmark Hill Road,
Upper Hawthorn. Later homes were at Clapham street,
Thornbury Thornbury may refer to:
Places
;Australia
*Thornbury, Victoria
* Thornbury railway station, Melbourne
;Canada
* Thornbury, Ontario
;England
*Thornbury, Devon
* Thornbury, Herefordshire
*Thornbury, Gloucestershire
**Thornbury Castle
**Thornbury (UK ...
and 15 Powlett Street,
Heidelberg.
Campbell's stellar scholastic career began at Thornbury Primary School, where he was dux for two years and won scholarships to
Scotch College, and another to
Ormond College at
Melbourne University, culminating in the 1933
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
, which took him to
Magdalen College, Oxford University, studying literature.
He joined ''
The Daily Telegraph'', then with the onset of World War II joined the RAAF, served as Flying Officer attached to the RAF, and was awarded a
DFC. After the fall of Germany, Campbell was engaged in compiling a history of Bomber Command. Around this time he met Ruth Hazel Seale, who was with
Australian Consolidated Press
Are Media is an Australian media company that was formed after the 2020 purchase of the assets of Bauer Media Australia, which had in turn acquired the assets of Pacific Magazines, AP Magazines and Australian Consolidated Press during the 2010s ...
; they married on 11 December 1946 at
Croton-on-Hudson, New York where he was working for 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 i ...
''.
He subsequently wrote for the ''Telegraph'', ''
Australian Women's Weekly'' and ''
The Bulletin
Bulletin or The Bulletin may refer to:
Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals)
* Bulletin (online newspaper), a Swedish online newspaper
* ''The Bulletin'' (Australian periodical), an Australian magazine (1880–2008)
** Bulletin Debate, ...
''.
His gently humorous column in ''The Weekly'' was enjoyed by Australians for 22 years.
Campbell and wife Ruth settled in
Greenwich, Sydney, in a house he referred to in his columns as "Oxalis Cottage"; they had three daughters including the artist
Cressida Campbell
Cressida Campbell (born 8 July 1960) is an Australian artist.
She was born in Sydney in 1960 to Ruth and Ross Campbell. She studied at East Sydney Technical College in 1978 and 1979. Her older sister is actress Nell Campbell.
Her first husba ...
and the actress
Nell Campbell and a son, known to his readers as "Theodora", "Lancelot", "Little Nell" and "Baby Pip". He died age 71 after a long illness and was cremated.
Publications
*''Daddy Are You Married'' (1962)
*''Mummy, Who Is Your Husband'' (1964)
*''She Can't Play My Bagpipes'' (1970)
*''My Life as a Father'' (2005)
*''An Urge to Laugh'' (1981 autobiography)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Ross
1910 births
1982 deaths
Writers from Melbourne
20th-century Australian male writers
Australian Rhodes Scholars
Australian journalists
Australian columnists