George Michell Farwell (3 October 1911 – 6 August 1976) was an English-born Australian
novelist, freelance journalist, broadcaster and
travel writer.
Early career
Farwell was born in
Bath,
Somerset, England.[1] and was educated at a number of different schools, ending with
Forest School,
Walthamstow, which he left at age 17. He lost both his parents at about the same time, and after struggling to make a living in Depression-era London, he left for an eighteen-month expedition to
French Polynesia. This led to a life of fairly constant travel. Arriving in
Sydney in 1935, he worked in or near that city at various jobs such as deckhand, dock labourer and gold miner, and contributed articles to the
Sydney Mail at the same time.
Writing career
Although Farwell experienced a number of lean years in Sydney, he kept on writing about the various experiences he had on the job, as well as on his travels to various parts of the world. His first book, Down Argent Street, telling the story of
Broken Hill,
New South Wales, was published in 1948. He published twenty two books in all, including an autobiography and biographies of
Charles Sturt and
E. D. S. Ogilvie. His articles and short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including
The Bulletin and
Walkabout.[2] He contbuted also to the radio programme Australian Walkabout.[3]
— (1970). Around Australia on Highway One. Thomas Nelson & Sons, Melbourne.
— (1970). The House That Jack Built, a Play. Heinemann Educational, Melbourne.
— (1970). Ned Kelly. F.W. Cheshire, Melbourne.
— (1970). Sun Country. Thomas Nelson & Sons, Melbourne.
— (1971). Requiem for Woolloomooloo. Hodder & Stoughton, Sydney.
— (1973). Squatter's Castle: the Story of a Pastoral Dynasty. Landsdowne Press, Melbourne.
— (1976). Rejoice in Freedom. Thomas Nelson & Sons, Melbourne.
— (1977). Farwell Country. Thomas Nelson & Sons, Melbourne.
Articles
George Farwell, "First novel set in Australia", The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 July 1966 - review of: Adventures on a Journey to New Holland and The Lonely Deathbed, by Therese Huber. Translated from the German original Abentheuer auf einer Reise nach Neu-Holland (1793) by Rodney Livingstone. Edited, with preface and notes, by
Leslie Bodi. Melbourne: Lansdowne Press, 1966.
Masselos, James (December 1967). "[Review of Mask of Asia]". Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society. 53 (4): 368–371.
Last days
George Farwell died at his home in
Kingswood, a suburb of
Adelaide, in 1976. He was survived by his second wife and two children from his first marriage. His ashes were scattered on the
Birdsville Track.