Francis Patrick Clune, OBE, (27 November 189311 March 1971) was a best-selling Australian writer, travel writer and popular historian.

Early life and career

Clune was born in Liverpool Street,

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. ...

, Sydney in 1893, and grew up in Redfern. He left home at 15 and for five years lived the life of an adventurer, claiming to have had twenty-five different jobs by the age of 17, and enlisting with the US Army in Kansas 26 October 1911, deserting and going to sea. Clune joined the AIF in 1915 during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and was soon with the 16th Battalion at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles s ...

. He was wounded in action and repatriated a year after being wounded in both legs. He married Maud Roy in 1916; they divorced in 1920. He married again in 1923 to artist and sculptor Thelma Cecily Smith (1900–1992), established himself as a tax consultant and by 1930 had settled in

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019. His first book was published in 1933 : ''Try Anything Once'', an account of his adventures. Some of his subsequent books were written in collaboration with P R 'Inky' Stephensen, notably ''The Viking of Van Diemen's Land'' and ''The Pirates of the Brig 'Cyprus. He was fascinated by the 'outsiders' of Australian history such as

Captain Melville Francis McNeiss McNeil McCallum (Captain Melville) (c 1823- 10 August 1857) was a Scottish-born Australian notorious bushranger during the early part of the Victorian Gold Rush in Australia. Transportation After being convicted under the alia ...

Captain Starlight Frank Pearson (1837–22 December 1899) was an Australian bushranger, operating under the pseudonym ''Captain Starlight.'' Pearson claimed he was the inspiration for a fictional figure of the same pseudonym: the character Captain Starlight in ...

Martin Cash Martin Cash (baptised 10 October 1808 – 26 August 1877) was a notorious Irish-Australian convict bushranger, known for escaping twice from Port Arthur, Van Diemen's Land. His 1870 autobiography, ''The Adventures of Martin Cash'', ghostwritten ...

Edward Hargraves Edward Hammond Hargraves (7 October 1816 – 29 October 1891) was a gold prospector who claimed to have found gold in Australia in 1851, starting an Australian gold rush. Early life Edward Hammond Hargraves was born on 7 October 1816 in Gosp ...

Bully Hayes William Henry "Bully" Hayes (1827 or 1829 – 31 March 1877) was a notorious American ship's captain who engaged in blackbirding in the 1860s and 1870s.James A. Michener & A. Grove Day, ''Bully Hayes, South Sea Buccaneer'', in ''Rascals in Parad ...

Jørgen Jørgensen Jørgen Jørgensen (name of birth: Jürgensen, and changed to Jorgenson from 1817)Wilde, W H, ''Oxford Companion to Australian Literature'' 2nd ed. (29 March 1780 – 20 January 1841) was a Danish adventurer during the Age of Revolution. Duri ...

, "Chinese" Morrison, Ben Hall,

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

Frederick Bailey Deeming Frederick Bailey Deeming (30 July 1853 – 23 May 1892) was an English-born Australian murderer. He was convicted and executed for the murder of a woman in Melbourne, Australia. He is remembered today because he was suspected by some of being ...

and Louis de Rougemont. Clune also wrote for many magazines including ''

Walkabout Walkabout is a rite of passage in Australian Aboriginal society, during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditiona ...

'', '' The Bulletin'', ''

Pacific Islands Monthly ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', commonly referred to as "PIM", was a magazine founded in 1930 in Sydney by New Zealand born journalist R.W. Robson. Background ''Pacific Islands Monthly'' was started in Sydney in 1930. The first issue ran in August ...

'', ''

Smith's Weekly ''Smith's Weekly'' was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. It was an independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia. History The publication took its name from its founder and chief financer Sir J ...

'' and ''ABC Weekly'' as well as his own ''Frank Clune’s Adventure Magazine,'' illustrated by Allan Jordan and published over 8 issues in 1948''.'' He broadcast "Roaming Round Australia" regularly on The ABC from 1945 to 1957. He was an effective promoter of

Albert Namatjira Albert Namatjira (born Elea Namatjira; 28 July 1902 – 8 August 1959) was an Arrernte painter from the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia, widely considered one of the greatest and most influential Australian artists. As a pioneer of cont ...

and Australian Aborigines generally. Clune had his detractors in the literary world. He was criticised for embellishing the facts in the interests of the narrative, and was met with hostility by General Sir Thomas Blamey for his "irregular methods and indiscreet utterances" during WWII. Regardless of criticism, by the early 1950s, his books had sold in excess of 500,000 copies, much to the delight of his publisher

Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

Association with the art world

In the 1940s, Frank and Thelma Clune opened an art gallery in Kings Cross which was subsequently to house works by many of Australia's best known painters, including Sir

Russell Drysdale Sir George Russell Drysdale (7 February 1912 – 29 June 1981), also known as Tass Drysdale, was an Australian artist. He won the prestigious Wynne Prize for ''Sofala'' in 1947, and represented Australia at the Venice Biennale in 1954. He was ...

, John Passmore and

John Olsen John Wayne Olsen, AO (born 7 June 1945) is a former Australian politician, diplomat and football commissioner. He was Premier of South Australia between 28 November 1996 and 22 October 2001. He is now President of the Federal Liberal Party, C ...

.Elizabeth Butel & Tom Thompson. ''Kings Cross Album''. Published by Atrand. Australia, 1984. (). In the 1950s and 1960s, together with his wife Thelma and youngest son Terry, he opened the Terry Clune Art Galleries on the corner of Challis Avenue and Macleay Street, and at 59 Macleay Street in Kings Cross. The gallery became the home for Sydney's young

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...

s, such as

Stan Rapotec Stanislav Ivan Rapotec (4 October 1913 – 18 November 1997) was a Slovene-Australian artist. Early life Stanislav Rapotec was born in 1913 in Trieste, at that time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1918 he moved with his family to ...

Robert Klippel Robert Klippel AO (19 June 192019 June 2001) was an Australian constructivist sculptor and teacher. He is often described in contemporary art literature as Australia's greatest sculptor. Throughout his career he produced some 1,300 pieces of ...

and Robert Hughes. The gallery later became the home of the noted artist

Martin Sharp Martin Ritchie Sharp (21 January 1942 – 1 December 2013) was an Australian artist, cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker. Career Sharp was born in Bellevue Hill, New South Wales in 1942, and educated at Cranbrook private school, where one ...

and was then known as ''Yellow House''. Frank and Thelma Clune were great friends and supporters of artist

William Dobell Sir William Dobell (24 September 189913 May 1970) was an Australian portrait and landscape artist of the 20th century. Dobell won the Archibald Prize, Australia's premier award for portrait artists on three occasions. The Dobell Prize is named ...

for many years.

Death

Clune died on 11 March 1971 at

St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney is a leading tertiary referral hospital and research facility located in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Though funded and integrated into the New South Wales state public health system, it is operated by St Vincent's He ...

at Darlinghurst, age 77. He was buried at

South Head Cemetery The South Head General Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery located at 793 Old South Head Road, Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1845 to 1950. It is also known as Old South Head Cemetery and the South Head Cemetery. The ...

. He was survived by his wife Thelma and his two sons: Anthony Patrick (1930–2002) and Terry Michael (born 1932).

Recognition and awards

Clune's portrait was painted by Sir William Dargie and by

Sir William Dobell Sir William Dobell (24 September 189913 May 1970) was an Australian portrait and landscape artist of the 20th century. Dobell won the Archibald Prize, Australia's premier award for portrait artists on three occasions. The Dobell Prize is named ...

for the 1950 Archibald Prize. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in 1967 for services to Australian literature.

Influence

Clune's 1959 book '' Jimmy Governor - the true story'' was the inspiration for

Thomas Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his non-fiction novel '' Schindler's Ark'', the story of Oskar Schindler's rescue of Jews during the Holocaust, ...

's 1972 novel ''

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith ''The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith'' is a 1972 Booker Prize-nominated Australian novel by Thomas Keneally, and a 1978 Australian film of the same name directed by Fred Schepisi. The novel is based on the life of bushranger Jimmy Governor, the su ...

''.

Selected publications

His published books include: *''Try Anything Once'' 1933 (Autobiography) *''Rolling Down the Lachlan'' 1935 *''Roaming Round the Darling'' 1936 *''Dig'' (about

Burke and Wills The Burke and Wills expedition was organised by the Royal Society of Victoria in Australia in 1860–61. It consisted of 19 men led by Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, with the objective of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the ...

) 1937 *''Free and Easy Land'' 1938 *''Sky High to Shanghai'' 1939 *''To the Isles of Spice'' 1940 *''Chinese Morrison'' 1940 *''All Aboard for Singapore'' 1941 *''D'Air Devil'' 1941 *''Last of the Australian Explorers: the story of Donald Mackay'' 1942 (about

Donald George Mackay Donald George Mackay CBE (29 June 187017 September 1958) was an Australian outdoorsman, long-distance cyclist, and explorer who conducted several expeditions to the remotest areas of the Australian continent. Early life Donald George Mackay was ...

) *''Prowling through Papua'' 1942 *''Tobruk to Turkey'' 1943 *''The Red Heart'' 1944 *''Captain Starlight'' 1945 (about

) *''Pacific Parade'' 1945 *''The Forlorn Hope'' 1945 (about voyage of boat ''Forlorn Hope'' from NT to WA in 1865) *''The Greatest Liar on Earth'' 1945 *''Captain Melville'' 1945 *''Pacific Parade'' 1945 *''Dark Outlaw'' (about

Frank Gardiner Frank Gardiner (1830 – c. 1882) was an Australian bushranger who gained infamy for his lead role in the a robbery of a gold escort at Eugowra, New South Wales in June 1862. It is considered the largest gold heist in Australian history. Gard ...

) 1945 *''Try Nothing Twice'' 1946 (second Autobiography) *''Golden Goliath'' 1946 *''Song of India'' 1946 *''Roaming around Australia'' 1947 *''Ben Hall the Bushranger'' 1947 (about Ben Hall) *''A Noose for Ned'' 1948 *''High Ho to London'' 1948 *''Wild Colonial Boys'' 1948 *''The Demon Killer'' 1948 *''Sky High to Shanghai'' 1948 *''Land of My Birth'' (short stories) 1949 *''Land of Hope and Glory'' 1949 *''Ashes of Hiroshima'' 1950 *''All Roads Lead to Rome'' 1950 *''Hands across the Pacific'' 1951 *''Somewhere in New Guinea'' 1951 *''Gunman Gardiner'' 1951 (new edition of ''Dark Outlaw'') *''Castles in Spain'' 1952 *''Flying Dutchmen'' 1953 *''Land of Australia'' 1953 *''Roaming round Europe'' 1954 *''The Viking of Van Diemen's Land'' (about

) 1954 *''Roaming round Europe'' 1954 *''The Kelly Hunters'' 1954 *''Bound for Botany Bay'' 1954 *''Korean Diary'' 1955 *''Martin Cash'' 1955 (about

) *''Overland Telegraph'' 1955 *''Roaming round New Zealand'' 1956 *''Captain Melville'' 1956 *''Scandals of Sydney Town'' 1957 *''The Fortune Hunters'' 1957 *''Flight to Formosa'' 1958 *''A Tale of Tahiti'' 1958 *'' Murders on Maunga-tapu'' 1959 *''The Blue Mountains Murderer'' 1959 *''Jimmy Governor'' 1959 *''Journey to Canberra'' 1960 *''Saga of Sydney'' . Halstead Press, 1961 *''Across the Snowy Mountains'' 1962 *''The Pirates of the Brig 'Cyprus 1962 *''Bound for Botany Bay'' 1964 *''Journey to Kosciusko'' 1964 *''Search for the Golden Fleece'' 1965 *''Journey to Pitcairn'' 1966 *''The Norfolk Island Story'' 1967. Angus & Robertson Books. (). *''King of the Road'' 1967 *''Serenade to Sydney'' 1967 *''Scallywags of Sydney Cove'' 1968 *''The Scottish Martyrs'' 1969 *''Captain Bully Hayes'' 1970 (about

) *''Rascals, Ruffians and Rebels of Early Australia'' (collection) 1987

Sources

*''The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature'' W H Wilde (2nd edition 1994)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clune, Frank 1893 births 1971 deaths Australian travel writers Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian historians 20th-century Australian journalists