Ann Howard (author)

Last updated

Ann Howard
Born1942 (age 81–82)
London, England
NationalityAustralian
Subject
  • Australian wartime history
  • Dangar Island history
Notable works
  • You'll Be Sorry!
  • A Carefree War
  • C'mon Over
  • Rainbow River

Ann Howard (born 1942) [1] is an Australian author and historian. [2] She has written books on the history of the Australian Women's Army Service, including You'll Be Sorry! How World War II Changed Women's Lives. [3] [4] Her more recent books include A Carefree War: The Hidden History of World War II Child Evacuees, which she wrote after interviewing more than 100 Australians about their experiences. [5] A resident of Dangar Island on the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales, [6] [7] for nearly 50 years, Howard has also authored four books on the island's history. [8]

Contents

Early life in England

Howard was born in London in 1942. [1] [9] During World War II, she was evacuated with her mother to Eastbourne on the coast of Sussex, where her family remained after the war. [10] She received a scholarship to Goldsmiths, University of London, intending to become a painter. [1]

Life in Australia

Howard moved to Brisbane, Australia, with her husband and their two young children in the 1970s. [1] After he died unexpectedly, she bought a run-down property on Dangar Island, just north of Sydney. [1] Called The Pavilion, it was the last remaining part of the homestead of politician Henry Cary Dangar, [8] built in 1889. [11] Howard completed two masters degrees while working as a teacher, raising her three sons, and gradually restoring the heritage home. [8]

Regarding her work as a historian, Howard has stated, "I like grassroots history; I don’t like history that is politicised. I like to hear people's voices and try to provide a platform for people's voices. So I'm always listening for stories." [1]

Major works and critical reception

You'll Be Sorry!

Howard's You'll Be Sorry: How World War II Changed Women's Lives (2016) is based largely on extracts from interviews, letters, and other recollections of 150 Australian women who served in the wartime auxiliary services, focusing on their experiences in assisting the military and their return to often "duller or frustrating lives" afterwards. [3] [12] The women worked as clerks, cryptographers, transport drivers, despatch riders, and at coastal artillery installations. [4]

The 2016 edition published by BigSky Publishing is an augmented version of two volumes Howard originally published in 1990, [4] including You'll Be Sorry! and Where Do We Go From Here? [12] In 2017, You'll Be Sorry was shortlisted for the Society of Women Writers' non-fiction history prize. [13]

C'mon Over

Her book, C'mon Over: Voluntary Child Migrants from Tilbury to Sydney (2002), examined the lives of children who were sent from England to Australia under a child welfare scheme started by Dr Thomas Barnardo. [2]

In 2003, a review in The Journal of Australian Studies commended the way that Howard "skilfully outlines the precarious act faced by policy makers" in C'mon Over: Voluntary Child Migrants from Tilbury to Sydney. [2] Noting that Howard, like Barnardo, "[eschews] statistics in favour of personal vignettes and concrete details" about the child migrants' experiences, the review stated that the "main complaint is simply that too little of each story is told", while acknowledging "the need to compress what is surely a staggering amount of research". [2]

A Carefree War

For A Carefree War: The Hidden History of World War II Child Evacuees (2018), Howard interviewed more than 100 Australians about their wartime experiences as children who were sent inland for their protection. [10] A 2018 review in Agora said that A Carefree War: The Hidden History of World War II Child Evacuees "succeeds in painting a picture of this darkest and most perilous year", 1942, when it appeared a Japanese invasion of Australia was imminent. [5] A review in The Australian called it a "scrupulously researched and usefully indexed book". [10]

Dangar Tales

In addition, Howard has written four books on the history of Dangar Island, [8] including details about its social history. [14] The Bush Telegraph Weekly said that Rainbow on the River and Other Dangar Tales "sheds light on previously unknown history of Dangar Island with many marvellous river tales." [15] Environmental historian Paul Boon noted that "[Howard's] books collate an amusing collection of anecdotes and snippets of local history." [14]

Selected bibliography

Non-fiction historical

Books on Dangar Island

Books for children

Short works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stolen Generations</span> Indigenous Australian children forcibly acculturated into White Australian society

The Stolen Generations were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments. The removals of those referred to as "half-caste" children were conducted in the period between approximately 1905 and 1967, although in some places mixed-race children were still being taken into the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnardo's</span> British charity

Barnardo's is a charity headquartered in Barkingside in the London Borough of Redbridge. It was founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children. As of 2013, it raised and spent around £200 million each year running around 900 local services, aimed at helping these same groups. It is the largest children's charity in the UK in terms of charitable expenditure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home Children</span> Child migration scheme

Home Children was the child migration scheme founded by Annie MacPherson in 1869, under which more than 100,000 children were sent from the United Kingdom to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The programme was largely discontinued in the 1930s but not entirely terminated until the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Sorry Day</span> Annual Australian event on 26 May

National Sorry Day, officially the National Day of Healing, is an event held annually in Australia on 26 May commemorating the Stolen Generations. It is part of the ongoing efforts towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marieke Hardy</span> Australian writer and broadcaster

Marieke Josephine Hardy is an Australian writer, radio and television presenter, television producer and screenwriter and former television actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Howard</span> Prime Minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007

John Winston Howard is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, having previously served as the treasurer of Australia from 1977 to 1983 under Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the second-longest in Australian history, behind only Sir Robert Menzies. Howard has also been the oldest living Australian former prime minister since the death of Bob Hawke in May 2019.

David Hill is an English-born Australian business leader and author.

SS <i>Arcadia</i> (1953) British passenger liner

SS Arcadia was a passenger liner built for P&O in 1953 to service the UK to Australia route. Towards the end of her life she operated as a cruise ship, based in Sydney, until scrapped in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dangar Island</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Dangar Island is a forested island, 30.8 hectares in area, in the Hawkesbury River, on the northern outskirts of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Dangar Island is a suburb of Hornsby Shire and as at the 2021 census had a population of 313, which swells dramatically during holiday seasons. The island is serviced regularly by Brooklyn Ferry Service and departs from Brooklyn and takes about fifteen minutes. The Brooklyn ferry is itself adjacent to Hawkesbury River railway station. The ferry service is in operation 7 days a week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorrigo, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Dorrigo, a small town on the Waterfall Way, is located on the Northern Tablelands, in northern New South Wales, Australia. The town is part of Bellingen local government area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Tilbury</span> Port on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England

The Port of Tilbury is a port on the River Thames at Tilbury in Essex, England. It is the principal port for London, as well as being the main United Kingdom port for handling the importation of paper. There are extensive facilities for containers, grain, and other bulk cargoes. There are also facilities for the importation of cars. It forms part of the wider Port of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Robotham</span> Australian writer (born 1960)

Michael Robotham is an Australian crime fiction writer who has twice won the CWA Gold Dagger award for best novel and twice been shortlisted for the Edgar Award for best novel. His eldest child is Alexandra Hope Robotham, professionally known as Alex Hope, an Australian producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greta Army Camp</span> WWII army camp in New South Wales, Australia

Greta Army Camp was an Australian Army camp built in 1939 near Greta, New South Wales, Australia. It was used for training soldiers of the Second Australian Imperial Force (2AIF) during World War II. After World War II, the camp was converted into a migrant camp. The Australian army sold the site at auction in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's Overseas Reception Board</span> British government-sponsored organisation

The Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB) was a British government sponsored organisation. The CORB evacuated 2,664 British children from England, so that they would escape the imminent threat of German invasion and the risk of enemy bombing in World War II. This was during a critical period in British history, between July and September 1940, when the Battle of Britain was raging, and German invasion forces were being amassed across the English Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Dangar</span> Australian explorer

Henry Dangar (1796–1861) was a surveyor and explorer of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He became a successful pastoralist and businessman, and also served as a magistrate and politician. From 1845 to 1851 Dangar was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.

Forgotten Australians or care leavers are terms referring to the estimated 500,000 children who experienced care in institutions or outside a home setting in Australia during the 20th century. The Australian Senate committee used the term in the title of its report which resulted from its 2003–2004 "Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care", which looked primarily at those affected children who were not covered by the 1997 Bringing Them Home report, which focused on Aboriginal children, and the 2001 report Lost Innocents: Righting the Record which reported on an inquiry into child migrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foster care in Australia</span>

Home-based care, which includes foster care, is provided to children who are in need of care and protection. Children and young people are provided with alternative accommodation while they are unable to live with their parents. As well as foster care, this can include placements with relatives or kin, and residential care. In most cases, children in home-based care are also on a care and protection order.

The Congregation of the Sisters of Nazareth, until recently known as the Poor Sisters of Nazareth, are a Roman Catholic apostolic congregation of religious sisters of pontifical right, based in London, England. Members live in "Nazareth Houses" in English-speaking countries around the world: the UK, Ireland, United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Dangar</span> Australian artist (1885–1951)

Anne Dangar was an Australian painter and potter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples</span> Apology by the Australian Government to Indigenous peoples for historical forced removals

On 13 February 2008, the Parliament of Australia issued a formal apology to Indigenous Australians for forced removals of Australian Indigenous children from their families by Australian federal and state government agencies. The apology was delivered by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and is also referred to as the National Apology, or simply The Apology.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ann Howard". Pittwater Online News. No. 230. 6–12 September 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Lowe, Iris (2003). "[Book Review] C'mon Over: Voluntary Child Migrants from Tilbury to Sydney, 1921 to 1965". Journal of Australian Studies. 27 (79): 202–204. doi:10.1080/14443050309387903. S2CID   216134649 – via Taylor & Francis Online. This work by established author and historian Ann Howard...
  3. 1 2 3 Murray, Robert (December 2016). "[Review] You'll Be Sorry by Ann Howard". Quadrant. Vol. 60, no. 12. pp. 72–73. Retrieved 26 November 2022– via EBSCOHost.
  4. 1 2 3 "You'll be Sorry! How World War II changed women's lives by Ann Howard – Book Review". Military History & Heritage Victoria. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "[Review]A Carefree War: The Hidden History of Australian WWII Child Evacuees, Ann Howard". Agora. 1 June 2018. pp. 73–74. Retrieved 26 November 2022– via EBSCOHost.
  6. ↑ "Author reveals hidden history of evacuees". Hornsby and Upper North Shore Advocate. Manley, New South Wales. 30 July 2015. p. 5. ProQuest   1699535658 . Retrieved 26 November 2022– via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ Mercer, Phil (19 April 2012). "A wild river valley outside of Sydney". BBC Travel. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Jarratt, Suzy (Spring 2022). "Meet Ann Howard of Dangar Island". COAST magazine. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  9. 1 2 Bivona, Ginnie Siena; Whitington, Mitchel; McConachie, Dorothy, eds. (2004). Haunted Encounters: Ghost stories from Around the World. Dallas, Texas: Atriad Press. p. 243. ISBN   9780974039411.
  10. 1 2 3 Fitzgerald, Ross (14 November 2015). "The kids compelled to go bush for safety's sake". The Australian . Retrieved 26 November 2022– via Gale OneFile.
  11. ↑ Howard, Ann (18–24 November 2012). "MV Reliance". Pittwater Online News. No. 85. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  12. 1 2 Howard, Ann (2016). You'll be Sorry! How World War II Changed Women's Lives. Simon and Schuster. p. 9. ISBN   9781925275841.
  13. ↑ Bennett, Amanda Julie (2017). Peace Works! Moving Beyond 1915 Remembrance (PDF). Peace Works! - ACT Region. ISBN   9780646969855 . Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  14. 1 2 Boon, Paul (2017). The Hawkesbury River: A Social and Natural History. CSIRO Publishing. p. 41. ISBN   9780643107601.
  15. 1 2 3 "[Review] Rainbow on the River...and Other Dangar Tales". The Bush Telegraph Weekly. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  16. 1 2 Bomford, Janette M. (2001). Soldiers of the Queen: Women in the Australian Army. South Melbourne and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 147–148. ISBN   9780195514070.
  17. ↑ "Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS)". Australian War Memorial . Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  18. ↑ Harper, Marjory; Constantine, Stephan (2011). Migration and Empire. Oxford Academic. pp. 247–276. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199250936.003.0009.
  19. ↑ Carty, Lisa (19 February 2000). "Family centre 'milestone'; New chapter added to Barnardos story". Illawarra Mercury . ProQuest   364410336 . Retrieved 26 November 2022– via ProQuest.
  20. ↑ Pfisterer, Susan (1998). Playing with Ideas: Australian Women Playwrights from the Suffragettes to the Sixties. Sydney: Currency Press. p. 126. ISBN   0868195650.
  21. ↑ Facer, Beth (March 2013). "Rainbow on the River" (PDF). Ku-ring-gai Historical Society Newsletter. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  22. 1 2 "Ann Howard: Rainbow on the River". Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts . Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  23. 1 2 Landsbergs, Michele, ed. (1994). Australian National Bibliography: Annual Cumulation, 1993. International Publication Service. pp. 342, 715. ISBN   9780800238438.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.