author
Steele Rudd
1868–1935
Known for bringing the humor and hardship of Queensland bush life to the page, this Australian writer created the much-loved Dad and Dave stories. His best-known book, On Our Selection, grew from lived experience and became a lasting part of Australia’s literary tradition.
2 Audiobooks
On Our Selection
by Steele Rudd
The Dashwoods : a sequel to "On an Australian farm"
by Steele Rudd
About the author
Born Arthur Hoey Davis in Drayton, Queensland, on 14 November 1868, he wrote under the pen name Steele Rudd. He left school young, worked on country properties, and later moved to Brisbane, where his experiences of selector life helped shape the stories that made him famous.
His breakthrough came with On Our Selection in 1899, a collection of comic and sharply observed stories about rural family life. The book introduced readers to Dad, Dave, and the rest of the Rudd family, and its mix of warmth, struggle, and dry humor made it one of the best-known works in Australian literature.
Rudd went on to write many more books and also founded Steele Rudd’s Magazine, which supported Australian writing. He died in Brisbane on 11 October 1935, but his work remains closely tied to the popular image of pioneer life in Queensland and to the development of a distinct Australian voice in print.