Ross McKay Campbell (26 December 1910 – 24 February 1982) was an Australian humorist.

History

Campbell was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, eldest son of Alice Jean Nicol Campbell, née Paulin,[1] (died 1949) and Douglas McKay Campbell (1884–1960), goldfields inspector and a member of the Kalgoorlie Operatic Society known for humorous performances[2] and organisational ability.[3] Around 1912 the family moved to Melbourne, living at 13 Denmark Hill Road, Upper Hawthorn.[4] Later homes were at Clapham street, Thornbury and 15 Powlett Street, Heidelberg.

Campbell's stellar scholastic career began at Thornbury Primary School, where he was dux for two years and won scholarships[5][6] to Scotch College, and another to Melbourne University, culminating in the 1933 Rhodes Scholarship,[7] which took him to Magdalen College, Oxford University, studying literature.[8]

He joined The Daily Telegraph, then with the onset of World War II joined the RAAF, served as Flying Officer attached to the RAF, and was awarded a DFC.[9] After the fall of Germany, Campbell was engaged in compiling a history of Bomber Command.[10] Around this time he met Ruth Hazel Seale, who was with Australian Consolidated Press; they married on 11 December 1946 at Croton-on-Hudson, New York[11] where he was working for the Sydney Morning Herald.[12]

He subsequently wrote for the Telegraph, Australian Women's Weekly and The Bulletin.[13] His gently humorous column in The Weekly was enjoyed by Australians for 22 years.[14]

Campbell and wife Ruth settled in Greenwich, Sydney, in a house he referred to in his columns as "Oxalis Cottage"; they had three daughters including the artist Cressida Campbell and the actress Nell Campbell and a son, known to his readers as "Theodora", "Lancelot", "Little Nell" and "Baby Pip". He died age 71 after a long illness and was cremated.[15]

Publications

  • Daddy Are You Married (1962)[16]
  • Mummy, Who Is Your Husband (1964)[17]
  • She Can't Play My Bagpipes (1970)[18]
  • My Life as a Father (2005)[19]
  • An Urge to Laugh (1981 autobiography)[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Mainly About People". The Daily News (Perth). Vol. XXIX, no. 10,805. Western Australia. 24 January 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "Kalgoorlie Operatic Society". Kalgoorlie Western Argus. Vol. XII, no. 600. Western Australia. 19 June 1906. p. 18. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ ""The Gondoliers"". The Sun (Perth). No. 451. Western Australia. 23 June 1907. p. 9. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 21,436 . Victoria, Australia. 10 April 1915. p. 13. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "State Scholarships". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 23,866. Victoria, Australia. 1 February 1923. p. 14. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "A Young Crichton". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 14,581. Victoria, Australia. 9 December 1922. p. 6. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Rhodes Scholar". The Brisbane Courier. No. 23,337. Queensland, Australia. 15 November 1932. p. 12. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "Rhodes Scholar". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 26,911. Victoria, Australia. 15 November 1932. p. 7. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "Personnel file: R. M. Campbell". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Rhodes Scholar Wins DFC". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 30,921. Victoria, Australia. 6 October 1945. p. 9. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ ""Nan" Heard Today". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 21,701. Victoria, Australia. 7 December 1946. p. 25. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "Tribute to a Gentle Satirist". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 45, no. 42. Australia, Australia. 22 March 1978. p. 8. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ William Henry Wilde; Joy W. Hooton; B. G. Andrews (1994). The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-553381-X.
  14. ↑ "A Tribute to Ross Campbell". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 49, no. 40. Australia, Australia. 24 March 1982. p. 22. Retrieved 30 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.Include a sample of his writing.
  15. ↑ Jacqueline Kent (2007). "Australian Dictionary of Biography:Campbell, Ross McKay (1910–1982)". National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  16. ↑ Campbell, Ross (1966), Daddy, are you married?, Ure Smith, retrieved 1 May 2023
  17. ↑ Campbell, Ross (1964), Mummy, who is your husband?, Shakespeare Head Press, retrieved 1 May 2023
  18. ↑ Campbell, Ross (1970), She can't play my bagpipes, Shakespeare Head Press, retrieved 1 May 2023
  19. ↑ Campbell, Ross; Joyner, Andrew; Gare, Shelley (2005), My life as a father, Park Street Press/Media21 Publishing, ISBN 978-1-876624-71-2
  20. ↑ Campbell, Ross (1981), An urge to laugh, Wildcat Press, ISBN 978-0-908463-09-1
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