Thiele, Colin Milton

▪ 2007

      Australian children's author (b. Nov. 16, 1920, Eudunda, S.Aus., Australia—d. Sept. 4, 2006, Brisbane, Australia), published more than 100 books, including poetry, plays, and historical works, but was best known for his children's fiction, which ranged from humorous picture books to adventure stories for adolescents. Thiele grew up bilingual in a German Australian family, and in his first novel, The Sun on the Stubble (1961), he explored the life of 1930s German immigrants, much like his own family. That novel (filmed for television in 1996) and others were adapted for the screen, notably Storm Boy (1963; filmed 1976), a classic tale of a white boy and his Aboriginal mentor. Thiele worked as a teacher and school administrator and was principal (1965–73) and director (1974–81) of the Wattle Park Teachers' Centre in Adelaide. He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1977 and received the 1997 Dromkeen Medal for “making the voice of regional and rural Australia heard through children's literature.” The Colin Thiele Literature Scholarship was awarded annually by the South Australia state government.

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