Seven Little Australians
Encyclopedia
Seven Little Australians (1894) is a classic Australian children's novel by Ethel Turner
. Set mainly in Sydney
in the 1880s, it relates the adventures of the seven mischievous Woolcot children, their stern army father Captain Woolcot and flighty stepmother Esther.
In 1994 the novel was the only book by an Australian author to have been continuously in print for 100 years.
After a prank by Judy and Pip embarrasses Captain Woolcot at his military barracks he orders that Judy, the ringleader, be sent away to boarding school in the Blue Mountains.
Meg comes under the influence of an older girl, Aldith, and tries to improve her appearance according to the fashions of the day. She and Aldith make the acquaintance of two young men, but Meg believes she has fallen in love with the older brother of one, Alan. When Aldith and Meg arrange to meet the young men for a walk, Meg is embarrassed after a note goes astray and Alan comes to the meeting instead and reproaches her for becoming 'spoilt', rather than remaining the sweet young girl she was. Meg returns home and later faints, having tight-laced her waist until it affects her health.
Unhappy away from her siblings, Judy runs away from school and returns home, hiding in a barn. Despite her ill-health as a result of walking for several days to get home, the other children conceal her presence from their father, but he discovers her. He plans to send her back to school however realises that she is suffering from tuberculosis, and she is allowed to remain at home.
In part to assist Judy's recuperation, the children and Esther are invited to visit Esther's parents at their sheep station Yarrahappini. One day the children go on a picnic far away from the property. A ringbarked tree falls and threatens to crush the youngest child, 'the General'. Judy, who promised 'on her life' not to allow him to be harmed on the picnic, rushes to catch him and her body protects him from the tree. However her back is broken and she dies before help can be fetched.
After burying Judy on the property, the family returns home to Sydney sobered by her death. While ostensibly things remain the same, each character is slightly changed by their experience. In particular Captain Woolcot regrets the fact that he never really understood Judy and tries to treasure his remaining children a little more.
.
This was followed in 1953 by a BBC television 6-part mini-series .
The book was made into a 10 episode television series in 1973 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
, which was largely faithful to the book. Differences include the fact that in the book, Baby never really spoke, and in the series she had a lot to say. Judy was thin and waiflike in the book, she is more solidly built in the series. Meg's hair was long and dark, but in the book her hair is long and blonde. The series has been released on a 2-disc region 4 dvd set in Australia. Music for the television miniseries was composed by Bruce Smeaton
.
The book was adapted as a stage play in 1915. A professional version of a musical adaptation ran in Melbourne and Sydney from 1988. It is now a popular production for local musical societies to perform, as well as High School Stage productions.
.
Ethel Turner
Ethel Turner was an Australian novelist and children's writer.She was born Ethel Mary Burwell in Doncaster in England. Her father died when she was two, leaving her mother Sarah Jane Burwell with two daughters . A year later, Sarah Jane married Henry Turner, who was twenty years older and had six...
. Set mainly in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in the 1880s, it relates the adventures of the seven mischievous Woolcot children, their stern army father Captain Woolcot and flighty stepmother Esther.
In 1994 the novel was the only book by an Australian author to have been continuously in print for 100 years.
Characters
The book's protagonists are the seven Woolcot children, from oldest to youngest:- Meg (real name Margaret), 16, naive, romantic sixteen-year-old eldest sister and sometime surrogate mother to the younger children.
- Pip (real name Phillip), 14, eldest brother, handsome, intelligent but badly-behaved.
- Judy (real name Helen), 13, imaginative and lively, often leads the others into mischief and Pip's partner in crime.
- Nell (real name Elinor), 10, beautiful and slightly wistful child.
- Bunty (real name John), 6, described as 'fat and very lazy'.
- Baby (real name Winifred), 4, is the most well behaved out of the lot, was only a baby when her mother died.
- 'The General' (real name Francis Rupert) - the baby and the only natural child of Esther, who is stepmother to the other children.
Plot summary
The seven children of the title live in 1880s Sydney with their father, an army Captain who has little understanding of his children, and their twenty year-old stepmother Esther who can exert little discipline on them. Accordingly they wreak havoc wherever possible, for example by interrupting their parents while they entertain guests and asking for some of their dinner (implying to the guests that the children's own dinner is inadequate).After a prank by Judy and Pip embarrasses Captain Woolcot at his military barracks he orders that Judy, the ringleader, be sent away to boarding school in the Blue Mountains.
Meg comes under the influence of an older girl, Aldith, and tries to improve her appearance according to the fashions of the day. She and Aldith make the acquaintance of two young men, but Meg believes she has fallen in love with the older brother of one, Alan. When Aldith and Meg arrange to meet the young men for a walk, Meg is embarrassed after a note goes astray and Alan comes to the meeting instead and reproaches her for becoming 'spoilt', rather than remaining the sweet young girl she was. Meg returns home and later faints, having tight-laced her waist until it affects her health.
Unhappy away from her siblings, Judy runs away from school and returns home, hiding in a barn. Despite her ill-health as a result of walking for several days to get home, the other children conceal her presence from their father, but he discovers her. He plans to send her back to school however realises that she is suffering from tuberculosis, and she is allowed to remain at home.
In part to assist Judy's recuperation, the children and Esther are invited to visit Esther's parents at their sheep station Yarrahappini. One day the children go on a picnic far away from the property. A ringbarked tree falls and threatens to crush the youngest child, 'the General'. Judy, who promised 'on her life' not to allow him to be harmed on the picnic, rushes to catch him and her body protects him from the tree. However her back is broken and she dies before help can be fetched.
After burying Judy on the property, the family returns home to Sydney sobered by her death. While ostensibly things remain the same, each character is slightly changed by their experience. In particular Captain Woolcot regrets the fact that he never really understood Judy and tries to treasure his remaining children a little more.
Follow-up Books
Ethel Turner wrote three more books featuring the Woolcot family.- The Family at Misrule tells the story of the family five years on, including new baby girl Esther.
- Judy and Punch describes Judy's experiences at boarding school, including meeting a boy named Punch while they are both on the train on the way to school.
- Little Mother Meg describes Meg becoming a mother and raising her own children and Peter(the General) and Essie(baby Esther)go on adventure when they explore their neighbours' garden through a hole in the fence.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The first film adaptation of this novel was made in 1939, directed by Arthur Greville Collins. The film was shot in Sydney at the Commonwealth Film Laboratories and around Camden, New South WalesCamden, New South Wales
-Education:Camden is the location of research facilities for the veterinary and agricultural schools of the University of Sydney. The local government area has two public high schools, Camden High School and Elderslie High School, as well as eight Catholic and three Anglican schools.-Culture:The...
.
This was followed in 1953 by a BBC television 6-part mini-series .
The book was made into a 10 episode television series in 1973 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, which was largely faithful to the book. Differences include the fact that in the book, Baby never really spoke, and in the series she had a lot to say. Judy was thin and waiflike in the book, she is more solidly built in the series. Meg's hair was long and dark, but in the book her hair is long and blonde. The series has been released on a 2-disc region 4 dvd set in Australia. Music for the television miniseries was composed by Bruce Smeaton
Bruce Smeaton
Bruce Smeaton is an Australian composer, well known for a variety of Australian film and television scores in all genres - features, shorts, television, documentaries and advertisements. His scores include Picnic at Hanging Rock, Seven Little Australians, Roxanne, Iceman, and Circle of Iron...
.
The book was adapted as a stage play in 1915. A professional version of a musical adaptation ran in Melbourne and Sydney from 1988. It is now a popular production for local musical societies to perform, as well as High School Stage productions.
Cast
| Character | 1939 film | 1973 television programme |
|---|---|---|
| Captain John Woolcot | Charles McCallum Charles McCallum Charles McCallum was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a winger.-References:... |
Leonard Teale Leonard Teale Leonard Teale AO , born Leonard George Thiele in Brisbane, was a well-known Australian actor of radio, television and films.... |
| Judy Woolcot | Mary McGowan Mary McGowan Mary E. McGowan was an Ohio politician and member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 42nd district. In total she was served from 1938–1980.She was a member of the Democratic Party, and was a Roman Catholic.-Early life:... |
Jennifer Cluff |
| Esther Woolcot | Pat McDonald | Elizabeth Alexander |
| the General | Don Tall | Christian Robinson |
| Meg Woolcot | Sandra Jaques | Barbara Llewellyn |
| Pip Woolcot | Robert Gray | Mark Clark |
| Nell Woolcot | Janet Gleeson | Anna Hruby Anna Hruby Anna Hruby is an Australian actress who has appeared in many Australian television series and theatre productions.Hruby first achieved recognition for her role in Prisoner as Paddy Lawson... |
| Baby Woolcot | Nancy Gleeson | Tania Falla |
| Bunty Woolcot | Ron Rousel | Mark Shields-Brown |
| Martha | Letty Craydon | Ruth Cracknell Ruth Cracknell Ruth Cracknell AM was an Australian theatre and television character actress who appeared in many comedy roles. She was known variously as "Crackers", "Dame Crackers" and "Dame Ruth" throughout a career spanning 56 years.... |
Chapter List
- Chiefly Descriptive
- Fowl for Dinner
- Virtue Not Always Rewarded
- The General Sees Active Service
- "Next Monday Morning"
- The Sweetness of Sweet Sixteen
- "What Say You to Falling in Love?"
- A Catapult and a Catastrophe
- Consequences
- Bunty in the Light of a Hero
- The Truant
- Swish, Swish!
- Uninvited Guests
- The Squatter's Invitation
- Three Hundred Miles in the Train
- Yarrahappini
- Cattle-Drafting at Yarrahappini
- The Picnic at Krangi-Bahtoo
- A Pale-Blue Hair Ribbon
- Little Judy
- When the Sun Went Down
- And Last
Audiobook adaptations
- "Seven Little Australians" (2009 Audio Book) Published by Kalliope Audiobooks, narrated by Drew deCarvalho, directed by Roy Yokelson of Antland Productions
- "Seven Little Australians" (2009 digital talking book) DAISY digital talking book produced by the Association for the Blind of Western Australia http://www.cucat.org/library/openbiblio/shared/biblio_view.php?bibid=26452&tab=opac
See also
The Seven Little Australians Park is named for the book and is located in Lindfield, New South WalesLindfield, New South Wales
Lindfield is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lindfield is 13 kilometres north-west of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council.- Location and history :...
.