Colin Milton Thiele AC (; 16 November 1920 – 4 September 2006) was an Australian author and educator. He was renowned for his award-winning children's fiction, most notably the novels '' Storm Boy'', '' Blue Fin'', the '' Sun on the Stubble'' series, and ''February Dragon''. As Vice Principal and Principal of Wattle Park Teachers College and Principal of Murray Park CAE for much of the 1960s and 70s he had a significant impact on teacher education in South Australia. Colin and Rhonnie Thiele with Max Fatchen 2000

Colin and Rhonnie Thiele with Max Fatchen 2000

Biography

Thiele was born in

Eudunda Eudunda is a rural town in South Australia, roughly 103 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, established in 1870 after settlers began moving into the area in the 1860s. As of the 2006 census, Eudunda had a population of 640. Eudunda is in the Regi ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

to a

Barossa German Barossa German (german: Barossadeutsch or ) is a dialect of German, predominantly spoken in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia. The prominent South Australian writer, Colin Thiele (1920–2006), whose grandparents were German immig ...

family. The young Colin only spoke German until he went to school at Julia Creek. He was educated at several country schools including the Eudunda Higher Primary School, and Kapunda High School before studying at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, graduating in 1941. He later taught in high schools and colleges. He became principal of Wattle Park Teachers College in 1965, principal of

Murray Park CAE The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

in 1973, and director of the Wattle Park Teachers Centre until his retirement in 1980. Thiele enlisted in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), who ...

in December 1940, and was posted to the 18th Light Horse (Machine Gun) as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

. He transferred to the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) in July 1942, serving out the remainder of the war as a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

posted to Air Defence Headquarters,

Higgins Field Northern Peninsula Airport is an airport serving Bamaga, a town near the northern tip of the Cape York Peninsula and is located southeast of Injinoo in Queensland, Australia. The airport is operated by the Northern Peninsula Area Regional C ...

, at the tip of the

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

. He started teaching at Robertstown South Australia, before war service. His first post war teaching post was

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...

, where he wrote his first book, a geography textbook due to frustration with the available textbooks. Thiele wrote more than 100 books, which often described life in rural Australia, particularly the

Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley (Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major wine-producing region and tourist destina ...

, and

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...

/ Coorong regions of South Australia. Several of his books have been made into films or television series, including '' Sun on the Stubble'', ''

The Fire in the Stone ''The Fire in the Stone'' is a 1984 Australian TV film about teenagers in the town of Coober Pedy.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p61-62 It is based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Coli ...

'', '' Blue Fin'' and '' Storm Boy''. In 1977 he was made a

Companion 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 ...

, then the second highest level of the order, for his services to literature and education. Thiele suffered from severe arthritis from 1955 and in his later years left South Australia to settle in warmer conditions near

Dayboro, Queensland Dayboro is a rural town and locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Dayboro had a population of 2,119 people. Geography Dayboro Main Street 002 Steve Irwin.

Bibliography

Thiele's literary works ranged from the early 20th century until the very early 21st century until just prior to his death in September 2006. The primary component of his work was children's literature and educational support for teachers and other authors, primarily educating in the areas of English,

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

and

Australian history The history of Australia is the story of the land and peoples of the continent of Australia. Aboriginal Australians, People first arrived on the Australian mainland by sea from Maritime Southeast Asia between 50,000 and 65,000 years ago, and ...

Legacy

'' Can I Call You Colin'', an authorised biography by Stephany Evans Steggall, was published in March 2004. The ''Thiele Library'' at the

Magill ''Magill'' was an Irish politics and current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne and others in 1977. ''Magill'' specialised in investigative articles and colourful reportage by journalists such as Eamonn McCann (who wrote its anonymous ...

campus of the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

was named after him many years before his death. The Senior Student Library which is shared by

Golden Grove High School 'GoldenGrove High School is a public secondary school (7–12) located with Gleeson College and Pedare Christian College private schools in Golden Grove, South Australia. The three schools share a common campus. The school was built as part o ...

Pedare Christian College Pedare Christian College is a joint Independent, junior, middle and senior school in South Australia. The junior school comprises reception to year 5, the middle school years 6 to 9, and the senior school years 10 to 12. This school is a memb ...

and Gleeson College is named after and was officially opened by him on 10 May 1989. The road designated Highway B81 between the start of Highway A32 Main North Road just north of Gawler, and Morgan on the Murray River and passing through Kapunda and Eudunda, is named the

Thiele Highway Thiele Highway is a road in South Australia connecting the outskirts of Adelaide to the North west bend of the Murray River at Morgan, South Australia. It is named after author Colin Thiele who lived most of his life in towns along the route, a ...

after him. The Secondary House Thiele at Matthew Flinders Anglican College is named in his honour. A house in the middle school of

Trinity College, Gawler Trinity College, previously known as Trinity College Gawler, is an Anglican, K-12, co-educational, day school in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. It was established in 1984. Trinity College caters for approximately 4,000 s ...

, North Campus is also named is his honour.

Awards

*1977 Companion of the Order of Australia *1997

Dromkeen Medal The Dromkeen Medal is a literary prize awarded annually by the Courtney Oldmeadow Children's Literature Foundation for those who have advanced children's literature in Australia. The Medal was established by bookseller, Joyce Oldmeadow in 1982, ...

*2001

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

It's an Honour website
Centenary Medal

References

External links