Sheila Ellen Natusch (née Traill, 14 February 1926 – 10 August 2017) was a New Zealand writer and freelance illustrator. Many of her books cover natural history and the history of southern New Zealand, particularly Stewart Island.

Early life and family

Born Sheila Ellen Traill in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

on 14 February 1926, Natusch was the daughter of Robert Henry "Roy" Traill, whose father had emigrated to New Zealand from Orkney, and

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

-born Dorothea Ellen Traill (née Moseley). Through her father, Natusch was the great-granddaughter of Eliza Wohlers and her husband, German missionary Johan Wohlers. She grew up on Stewart Island, where her father was the wildlife ranger for 33 years, and received her secondary education at Southland Girls' High School. She then studied at Dunedin Teachers' Training College where she met and befriended

Janet Frame Janet Paterson Frame (28 August 1924 – 29 January 2004) was a New Zealand author. She was internationally renowned for her work, which included novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile fiction, and an autobiography, and received numerous awar ...

. The two became lifelong friends; in fact Natusch was the first person to read Frame's manuscript for ''

Owls Do Cry ''Owls Do Cry'' is a modernist novel by New Zealand author Janet Frame. Published in 1957, the book covers the story of the Withers siblings, who lives in a seaside town in South Island, New Zealand through a period of 20 years. The book exten ...

''. Later she studied at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

, graduating Bachelor of Arts in 1948 and Master of Arts with second-class honours in 1949. In 1950, she married Gilbert Gardner Natusch, a hydro-engineer, and the couple lived in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

Professional life

Natusch wrote, illustrated or compiled over 77 books for adults and children. In the 2007 New Year Honours, Natusch was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

for services as a writer and illustrator. A documentary about Natusch's life, ''No Ordinary Sheila,'' by her cousin New Zealand director Hugh Macdonald, featured in the 2017 New Zealand International Film Festival. Natusch died in Wellington on 10 August 2017. In 2017, Natusch was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "

150 women in 150 words Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

", celebrating women's contributions to knowledge in New Zealand.

Selected works

* ''Native plants'' : ''an introduction to the plant life of New Zealand by Sheila Natusch.'' Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, 1956 * ''Native rock'' by Sheila Natusch. Wellington N.Z. : Reed, 1959/1967 * ''Stewart Island'' by N.S. Seaward and Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, 1962 * ''Animals of New Zealand'' by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, Whitcombe & Tombs, 1967 * ''A bunch of wild orchids'' by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, 1968 * ''Hell and high water'' '': a German occupation of the Chatham Islands'', 1843-1910 by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, c1977 *An island called home by Sheila Natusch. Invercargill, N.Z. : Craig Printing Co., 1992 9780908629381 ''Letters from Jean'' edited by Sheila Natusch. (by Janet Frame). Wellington N.Z. : Nestegg Books, 2004 * ''So far so good'' '': an autobiography'' by Sheila Natusch. Wellington, N.Z. : Nestegg, 2007

References

External links

A collection of Radio New Zealand programmes on Sheila Natusch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natusch, Sheila 1926 births 2017 deaths People from Invercargill New Zealand people of German descent New Zealand people of Scottish descent New Zealand people of American descent New Zealand people of English descent People educated at Southland Girls' High School University of Otago alumni New Zealand scientists New Zealand non-fiction writers 20th-century New Zealand women writers 21st-century New Zealand women writers Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand autobiographers