Nora Kelly (journalist)

Nora Kelly was a New Zealand-born Australian journalist, poet and playwright, who wrote as Nora McAuliffe.[1] She also wrote as John Egan and Flossy Fluffytop.[2] She wrote the "Women's Letter" in The Bulletin for fifteen years.

Nora Kelly
Portrait of Kelly by May Moore, 1927
Portrait of Kelly by May Moore, 1927
BornDunedin, New Zealand
Pen name
  • Nora McAuliffe
  • John Egan
  • Flossy Fluffytop

Biography

Kelly was born in Dunedin, New Zealand[3] and educated at St Dominic's College.[2] Her career in journalism began by writing "The Dunedin Letter" for the Christchurch Sun[3] and she began contributing poetry[4][5] and short stories[6] to The Lone Hand.

She moved to Sydney, Australia and was employed by The Bulletin in 1917,[7] which also published some of her war poetry.[8] She took over writing its "Women's Letter" in 1919 from Margaret Cox-Taylor who wrote as Vandorian.[9] She fulfilled that role until 1934, when she left for England.[10] She remained its social editor until at least 1950.[11]

Kelly was a founding member of the Society of Women Writers[12] and served as president in 1941–43.[13][14]

The first play she wrote was Love, performed by the Sydney University Dramatic Society in October 1921.[15] It was described as "a sketch distinguished for its smart dialogue, but rather unconvincing".[16]

Her 1931 play, The Rose, was performed in a testimonial to Steele Rudd, along with works by Vance Palmer, Louis Esson, Carrie Tennant and Basil Garstang.[17]

Works

Poetry
  • The song-maker and other verse, 1937
  • 1940–1942, 1944

Plays
  • The Rose (1931)
  • Half Way to Paradise (1937)
  • The Sea Chest (1938)

References
  1. "Nora McAuliffe". AusStage. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  2. "Miss Nora Kelly". Sunraysia Daily. Vol. I, no. 86. Victoria, Australia. 25 January 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 7 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Nora Kelly". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  4. McAuliffe, Nora (1 September 1911), "Aspirations", The Lone Hand, W. McLeod, 9 (53): 410, retrieved 7 October 2021
  5. McAuliffe, Nora (1 July 1913), "The Little Heart", The Lone Hand, W. McLeod, 13 (75): 226, retrieved 7 October 2021
  6. McAuliffe, Nora (1 February 1916), "Outnumbered", The Lone Hand, W. McLeod, 5 (3): 226, retrieved 7 October 2021
  7. "Miss Nora Kelly". Sunraysia Daily. Vol. I, no. 86. Victoria, Australia. 25 January 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 7 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. Sharkey, Michael. "'But who considers woman day by day?' Australian women poets and World War I." Australian Literary Studies, vol. 23, no. 1, Apr. 2007, pp. 63+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A177553280/AONE?u=slnsw_public&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=4a76776d. Accessed 7 October 2021.
  9. "Journalistic Changes". Sunday Times. No. 1730. New South Wales, Australia. 16 March 1919. p. 13. Retrieved 7 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Sidelights on Show Festivities". The Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 6 August 1934. p. 16 (City Final Last Minute News). Retrieved 7 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. "The Red Page Some "Bulletin" History", The Bulletin, John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 71 (3651): 2, 1 February 1950, ISSN 0007-4039
  12. Heath, Lesley. "Society of Women Writers 1925–1935." Australian Literary Studies, vol. 21, no. 3, May 2004, pp. 362+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A120254324/AONE?u=slnsw_public&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=aea000e0. Accessed 7 October 2021.
  13. "Men At This Tea Party". Sunday Mail. No. 601. Queensland, Australia. 26 October 1941. p. 9. Retrieved 7 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. "Women's Letter", The Bulletin, John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 64 (3330): 25, 8 December 1943, ISSN 0007-4039
  15. "Gossip from Sydney". The Telegraph. No. 15258. Queensland, Australia. 22 October 1921. p. 12 (Second edition). Retrieved 7 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. "Music and Drama". The Sydney Mail. Vol. XX, no. 499. New South Wales, Australia. 19 October 1921. p. 29. Retrieved 7 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. Testimonial to Steele Rudd: Souvenir programme, Fellowship of Australian Writers, 1931, retrieved 7 October 2021
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