Two renowned former Magnetic Island residents - Kiwi writer , author, Jean Devanny (1894-l962) , and art historian , collector and opera fan, Margaret Vine - have been the subject of discussion in recent days , partly due to Little Darwin's culling of its book and ephemera collection .
Both remarkable women have been covered in this blog in the past . In the case of Devanny , we drew on her extensive material in the Special Collections section at the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library, James Cook University, Townsville .
She was one of the founding members of the Australian Writers League in the l930s , a Communist and strong womens emancipist , her l926 novel The Butcher Shop caused an uproar as it presented the sexual exploitation of women in marriage.
Bed of Books
We were fortunate to have personal contact with Margaret Vine , who first lobbed on the island with so many boxes of books that a number formed the base of her bed for a time .
In a typical Christian act, we helped make her bed more comfortable by supplying some old telephone directories to put in gaps between boxes.
She had worked at the National Art Gallery, Canberra, carrying out extensive research into Australian art . Architecture and fashion were other interests.
She was involved in research for the large 1977 tome Documents on Australian International Affairs 1901-1918 by Professor Gordon Greenwood and Charles Grimshaw of Queensland University.
We helped Margaret sort out part of her book and pottery collection . Some of her art books eventually went to Special Collections at JCU.
Margaret gave us several boxes of her American and Australian art magazines , even some of the books she had been awarded as a bright school pupil in Queensland , perused during the current cull.
She had been told by her father when she was young that she would not be sent to university , like her brother , because she was a girl and would probably just get married and have a family. Despite this, she carved out a creative career and was highly regarded in many circles .
On the Island, she helped community groups , was a strong wildlife carer , some critters given names from opera and literature . This writer clambered up on her roof and cleared out from the gutters accumulated droppings from wallabies that easily hopped there from nearby large granite boulders.
Both extraordinary women were the subject of special displays in the Magnetic Museum .
