Max Brown

Background

Brown was born in Invercargill, New Zealand and educated in Melbourne, Australia.

Career

He worked as a journalist in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, as well as in country towns in North.S.W. and West.A. At one stage, he worked on the Melbourne Argus with fellow journalist and famous Australian novelist-to-be George Johnston, whose tumultuous marriage with writer Charmian Clift would be the subject of Brown’s last book He also worked as a teacher, fitter and turner, wharf labourer and film publicist. He served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War and used his severance pay to write Australian Son, a highly regarded and sympathetic biography of bushranger Ned Kelly.

After publishing Australian Son in 1948, Brown went on to write a number of other books, several dealing with aboriginal themes.

His 1966 novel, The Jimberi Track, tells the tale of harassment by white settlers and miners experienced by various aboriginal tribal peoples, including the Wongais in South Australia and Western Australia after World World War World War II

He died in Ballarat in September, 2003.

Connections

Friend:

Chester Eagle