Wattle Day and a contemporary response to Olga Ernst's fairy tales.

http://museumvictoria.com.au/collections/items/
1399498/badge-wattle-day-australia-1914-1918

Every so often I quietly 'google' for new references to Olga Ernst and today, appropriately as it is 'Wattle Day', I was rewarded with two new references to Olga's fairy tales. I have been researching Olga's contribution for almost four years and I am thrilled to see some momentum building through the interest of others in her story.
From the Storytelling Guild's blog
Q&A about Olga Ernst in this interview with Belinda Calderone
Vonny Kemister is testing a story to tell at the Botanic Garden. Vonny’s story comes from Olga Earnst’s [sic] Fairy Tales from The Land of the Wattle (1904)
A reference to my talk at Brighton Historical Society in 2012
My research would not be so rich or so accurate without the help of Ernst relatives who have sourced further information, fellow researchers, friends in the Melbourne Lutheran Trinity community and of course my coffee-drinking companion and research assistant Susan. I am always grateful for further information.
Information on Wattle Day

Comments

Liz Needle said…

Hi Robyn,

I have just come across some photos in one of my family albums, previously unidentified. They are of the Straubel family as kids and another of three children - noted as Elsa, Olga and Hans. I have no doubt that this is your 'Olga'. Yet another of a Max Ernst as a boy.

My great drandfather was EB Heyne, hence the photos in my possession. I know little about the Straubel side of the family, but thought you might like a copy of one or any of the photos. Please let me know - lizneedl@adam.com.au.

Cheers
Liz Needle

September 2, 2013 at 4:52 PM

Liz Needle said…

Oops! Did I say a photo of Max? I meant Hans.

September 2, 2013 at 4:54 PM

My Thesis - what's it about?

I am always thrilled to be contacted by those who by chance find my blog. I have been blogging for three years and am hoping to complete my first draft by the end of the year. I thought it timely to re-publish what has already been published. The following is from my presentation at the University of Kassel, Germany. In 1904 Olga Ernst, a pupil teacher, wrote Fairy Tales from the Land of the Wattle. Although she was just sixteen years old, Ernst was one of a small group of writers in Australia who attempted to nationalise the fairytale towards the end of the nineteenth century, signalling quite clearly that they intended to affix the elves and fairies of Europe onto the Australian landscape aiming to fill a void that was keenly felt by the children of emigrants and the Australian-born children of emigrants. (Walker, 1988) The beginnings of the Australian bush fantasy genre can be linked with the desire to bring the comfortable and familiar into the new and distinctly non

Judged by the audience.

I started this blog as a way to reflect on intriguing aspects of my research. I wonder about who is reading this blog? It is nice to get emails and the occasional comment. I ponder about the regular visitor from Slovenia and am delighted that I was discovered by Heyne family members quite by accident. The most visited posts are: A PhD! What's in it for me? Sept 12,2010 Teaching in the blood Oct 19, 2010 Rosalie's Reward Oct 16, 2010 Tassie Tales Aug 15, 2010 Toxic Friendships Jun 19, 2010 Producing a poster - AARE Conference Oct 24, 2010 So... how popular are the Grimms? March 6 2011

A new audience for 'old' Australian fairy tales?

The Internet offers collaborative possibilities as well as the ease of sharing. This blog, maintained as a writing tool for five years, has shared research that may not appear in my thesis. It also explored the personal narrative of a PhD journey as well as my relationship with Ernst’s work. Interested relatives and other acquaintances interstate and overseas discovered my blog through search engines. They have added to the research data available in State and Lutheran archival records and made personal papers and photographs available. Patterson and Lindberg (1991) claim that, ‘the private papers of authors and artists are important to the cause of learning’ (218) on two levels: one to allow insight and understanding about, the creative process of the author and at another as the ‘cultural heritage’ of how an author’s work has shaped or reflected for the reader, their environment. Relatives who have contacted me through my blog have offered further insight through their anecdotes, p

Early Australian fairy tales

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