The Sunburnt Country

The Sunburnt Country
EditorIan Bevan
AuthorsThe Society of Australian Writers in Great Britain
LanguageEnglish
Genre
Published1953
PublisherCollins and Company
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint
Pages256

The Sunburnt Country, subtitled Profile of Australia, is an anthology book about Australia published in 1953. It features chapters by 17 members of The Society of Australian Writers in England who were prominent Australian and New Zealand authors living in Great Britain.[1] The book was published to coincide with the Royal visit to Australia on February 3 1954.[1][2] The Society, who formed in London in 1952,[3] wrote the book as a "tribute, combined with the thought that it would be helpful to her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh on their tour of Australia".[4] The book was published in England and an advance copy bound in kangaroo hide was accepted by the Queen as preparation for the tour.[5][6]

The authors decided The Sunburnt Country should be written without personal profit, so profits from the book went to charities nominated by the Duke of Edinburgh during his visit.[1][4] The Duke chose charities Legacy (Australia) and The Playing Fields Association (England). At the conclusion of the Tour of Legacy House, Sydney, a cheque of £1,500 was presented by the Duke. The Queensland's share of the money was £154 and was divided between the 10 Legacy clubs in Queensland.[4] By March 1954 the proceeds had amounted to £3,000.[7]

A competition was held by the News Chronicle in association with The Sunburnt Country. The first prize was a tour of Australia and was won by English farmer Sam Farrant.[8]

The Sunburnt Country was edited by Sydney writer Ian Bevan and published by Collins and Company.[6][9] The jacket and end papers were designed by Loudon Sainthill.[3]

  1. ^ a b c ""The Sunburnt Country"". Kalgoorlie Miner. 11 July 1953. p. 3. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  2. ^ "News of the Day". The Age. 7 November 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Our English notebook: After the truce". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 4 August 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Legacy's link with Duke of Edinburgh". Morning Bulletin. 10 March 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  5. ^ ""The sunburnt-country"". The Scone Advocate. 5 October 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  6. ^ a b ""The Sunburnt Country"". Kalgoorlie Miner. 11 November 1953. p. 8. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Off the record". Daily Mercury. 27 March 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  8. ^ "On and off the farm". The Land. 19 February 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  9. ^ ""Sunburnt Country" Sales Booming". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 16 December 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2021.