Hannie Rayson: Grabbing the Limelight

one lesson one learns as a biographer from history is that ahistory's judgement is inevitably flawed. Politicians and others venerated in their lifetimes often turn out to have feet of clay. Nothing sadder than reading the lists of prize winning novelists and artists from a century ago, most of them forgotten today and the ones who have stood the test of time ignored. My own biographies have unearthed women totally forgotten by history like Joice Loch, Australia's Most Decorated Woman (subject of my award winning book Blue Ribbons Bitter Bread, totally ignored in Australia until my book appeared and ABC Foreign Correspondent filmed the opening of a small museum to her in Greece in the presence of the Australian Ambassador (see Foreign Correspondent website). My forthcoming book Trailblazers has two remarkable women history forgot, Mary Gaunt, raised in Ballarat and one of the first women to attend Melbourne University, after the death of her husband from syphilis having published four successful novels set on the goldfields of Victoria went to London and from there launched herself as a succesfful travel writer and explorer with prestigiius books on Africa. She toured China by mule cart and before and after World War One was a top selling author, died in France in WW2, totally ignored in Australia. Brisbane born Nell Tritton, wife of Alexander Kerensky, barrister and former Russian Prime Minister who Stalin attempted to assasinate on sevearl occaions saved his life in Paris, translated his books from French into Englihs for American readers, saved her husband from the Nazis after they invaded Paris and shortened her life trying to save his. All forgotten today. And how will Julia Gillard topic of one chapter be seen in 50 years time? Food for thought