Bruce, Mary Grant (1878-1958), was one of the most popular early authors of Australian children’s books. Bruce was especially well known for her 15 “Billabong” books that deal with the lives of the Linton family of Billabong Station in northeastern Victoria. The series began with A Little Bush Maid (1910) and ended with Billabong Riders (1942). Bruce’s books deal with simple adventures and romance written in a realistic, easy-to-read style. They depict bush and station (ranch or farm) life similar to what Bruce experienced during her childhood in Gippsland, Victoria.
In A Little Bush Maid, Bruce introduced readers to Norah Linton, her brother Jim, father David, and their friend Wally. While Norah is something of a tomboy, she eventually marries Wally. Two of the later books, From Billabong to London (1915) and Jim and Wally (1916), are set in Europe during World War I (1914-1918), with Jim and Wally fighting for the Allies against Germany.
Minnie Grant was born on May 24, 1878, near Sale, Victoria. The publisher of A Little Bush Maid thought “Mary” was a more suitable name than “Minnie.” She married her cousin, Major George Evans Bruce, in 1914. She published many books outside the “Billabong” series, including The Stone Axe of Burkamukk (1922), a collection of Australian Aboriginal legends, and a selection of her radio talks. After her husband’s death in 1948, Bruce lived in England, where she died on July 2, 1958.
