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Mr. Miles wrings my withers, though, when he suggests that the second edition of "Such is Life" (published in 1917) was not launched "with sufficient acumen," and advances this as a reason for not having heard of it. There were errors of "business judgment," he says. Probably, but l am interested in finding out what they were. The launching of the second edition was entrusted to Mr. Frederick Macartney and myself, a having been assuredby the "Bulletin" (from whom the sheets were obtained) that there were no commercial possibilities in the venture, we canvassed for possible subscribers. A prospectus was sent out containing critiques of "Such is Life," including one from Mr, Bernard O'Dowd, who spoke of the book as Australia's finest achievement in prose. An exhaustive search was made for people who might be expected to be interested and they were invited to subscribe. ... No; I can assure Mr. Miles that it is not easy to find a public in Australia for a good book of Australian origin. Probably Joseph Furphy's work would have been left for some antiquarian in the Mitchell library to unearth if it had not been for the enlightened energy of Miss Kate Baker. Not all writers are lucky enough to have such a devoted friend to act as their literary trustee.
But its enormous, length (approximately 550 pages when printed) was sufficient to scare even the most enthusiastic publisher, and no publication offer was forthcoming unless the author could bring it to a more conventional bulk. This Furphy was loth to do, but a close examination revealed one section that could profitably be deleted without in any way detracting from the story. This was done, and ultimately "Such Is Life" appeared between covers in 1903. The expurgated portion was printed serially in "Barrier Truth," a weekly newspaper published at Broken Hill, in 1905-6, under the title of "Rigby's Romance." This novel, which is a complete story in itself, was rescued from the files, by the initiative and energy of Kate Baker, a woman whose sterling character played a large part in the author's life, and was entered in 1921 in the Australian Novel Competition promoted by the short-lived C. J. De Garis Publishing House, Melbourne.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)A movement for the erection in Shepparton (Victoria) of a memorial tablet to Tom Collins (Joseph Furphy) has been launched by Miss Kate Baker and is receiving considerable support. When the full story of Tom Collins comes to be written, the untiring zeal of his standard-bearer, Kate Baker, will occupy a prominent place. 'Such is Life' was published by "The Bulletin" in 1903, but was quickly lost to the book-buying public. In 1916, Miss Baker collected and edited "The Poems of Joseph Furphy." In 1917 she was responsible for the second edition of "Such in Life,"this time by The Specialty Press, Melbourne, while, in 1921, she was responsible for the publication of "Rigby's Romance," which she had entered in the De Garis prize novel competition, securing honourable mention for the book. It is safe to say that no other Australian writer has ever had such a zealous sponsor of his work as Tom Collins has in Miss Kate Baker. He died in 1912 at Fremantle, but "Such is Life," the work by which his name is honoured in the annals of Australian literature, was written at Shepparton, where he spent 20 years of his life.
{{
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Tribute was paid to Miss Kate Baker, East Melbourne, who suggested the memorial.
The Henry Lawson Memorial and Literary Society presented Miss Kate Baker with a life membership certificate in recognition of her services
{{
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link)At the monthly meeting of the Henry Lawson Memorial and Literary Society, Miss Kate Baker was presented by the president (Mrs. G. A. Hunter) with a life membership certificate in recognition of her services to Australian literature and to the Lawson Society.
In 1913 Miss Baker suffered a severe breakdown and retired from the Education Department. Three years later she published "The Poems of Joseph Furphy," and a year later bought from the publishers some 800 unbound copies of "Such Is Life," and so brought out another edition of that fine book, which had been unprocurable
{{
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)The bronze plaque of Miss Kate Baker to be presented to her on December 14.
Arrangements for the ceremony are in the hand of Miss Kate Baker, of 76 George Street, East Melbourne...
{{
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link)An Interview with Miles Franklin, by Kate Baker, O.B.E.
{{
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link){{
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Mr. [Edward Henry] Baker held the honorable position for five consecutive periods of Mayor of Hurstville; in which his integrity of character gained the respect of every section of the community. Mr. Baker is the brother of our respected townsmen, Messrs. Thomas Edward and Frances Sheffield Baker, and of Miss Kate Baker, at one time a teacher at both the Central and North Williamstown State Schools.
"Kate Baker, O.B.E." — Ed. Harrington
Miss Kate Baker has been given an O.B.E. decoration by the King for her work in connection with Australian literature. She is a sister of Mr Frank Baker, of Osborne street, and was a pupil, and later, teacher at the North State school, and afterwards at Newport.
Miss Kate Baker, [Miles Franklin's] collaborator in the win ning entry, has just left, Carlton for Melbourne after residing here with Miss Franklin for six months, during which period she attended meetings of the League.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Among the gathering were several of the teachers who had been on the staff during the regime of Mr Ulbrick ... Miss K. Baker, O.B.E.
Miss Kate Baker who is well known for her work for Joseph Furphy and through whose efforts "Such Is Life" has been kept before the public, left Melbourne recently to reside in Sydney.
{{
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)I was born in Ireland, God bless her—at Cappoquin, County Waterford. The very sound of the name "Ireland", gives me a sort of nostalgia of love and longing. I think the little village in which my childhood was passed could easily have been the original of "The Deserted Village." There, folk lived in amity and love. My mother (my father died when I was three months old), I remember, was held in a kind of worship by the simple country people.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)The function is the culmination of a patient woman's faith and hopes over a number of years— that of Miss Kate Baker, of Melbourne, friend, sponsor, editor, and literary executor of Joseph Furphy. Miss Baker conceived the idea of a memorial some years ago, and in 1932 she sought co-operation in Shepparton (Victoria), where Furphy lived for twenty years, and where 'Such is Life' was written. There was no response, and the ultimate choice of scene was Yarra Glen, where, it was found, a State school stood on the very site of the Furphy natal shack. Even then the form or scope of the memorial was not defined. Miss Baker's modest and almost solitary efforts attracted the notice of writers and critics, then of the Director of Education, and the movement became a public one.
Instrumental in having the unveiling ceremony carried out in a fitting manner is Miss Kate Baker, of 76 George street, East Melbourne,
Periodically there comes alone, by whom sent is a mystery as yet unsolved, a copy of a little paper, 'All About Books,' published in Melbourne. One of the most interesting pages of a recent number is devoted to Miss Kate Baker, and tells of the occasion when a group of her admirers presented her with a Portrait Plaque in Bronze by Wallace Anderson, Sculptor. In his presentation address which is printed In full, Bernard O' Dowd, the Australian poet, began by stating the reason of the meeting was to do bonor to Miss Kate Baker, who for many years, with simple devotion to an ideal, with unobtrusive patience, and considerable self sacrifice, and with an indomitable persistence that would have left many weary with aims unaccomplished, has tended the altarof our young literature, and has saved from the silver fish and mice some of the most precious of the archive, of that literature'. It was Kate Baker who. out of scanty means help ed to put Tom Collins, author of 'Such is Life' on the Literary map. In her reply to Bernard O' Dowd, and in expressing her thanks to those who had presented the plaque, Miss Baker's fine mind and human personality was revealed. On the cover of this little magazine is a reproduction of 'The Plaque of Miss Kate Baker, presented to her by admirers of her work, on behalf of Australian Literature'. This shows a woman with a fine brow, penetrating eyes, well shaped mouth, and a general look of big-mindedness and sincerity.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)AS one who has been shown several kindnesses by Miss Kate Baker, who, made possible the publication in book form of "Tom Collins's" "Such Is Life," I wish to record my pleasure at the thought which moved her admirers to commission Mr. Wallace Anderson, the sculptor, to "do" the handsome bronze plaque of her now on exhibition in Robertson and Mullens' window, Elizabeth-street. The plaque is being presented to Miss Baker for "her selfless services to Australian literature and writers." Such women as Miss Baker are in the true Horniman and Lady Gregory tradition. May her years be long.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Miss Kate Baker, of George-street, East Melbourne, for over 20 years has been doing very good work in the interests of Australian literature. It was due to her efforts after she had read the manuscript that the works of Joseph Furphy (better known as Tom Collins) were published. She was also largely responsible for the publication of the poems of another Australian, John Shaw Neilson.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)For some time now It has been impossible to obtain a copy of this book ["Such is Life"]. The one I have just read was sent to me from Victoria, by one of those anxious to make Tom Collins live in the minds of the present generation. Before long though Jonathan Cape the London publisher, will put the long-out-of-print book on the market.
This new edition is the result of the work of Miss Kate Baker, who might claim, if she were less modest, that she 'discovered Tom Collins.' As a young woman, Miss Baker went as school teacher in the district where the author's parents lived. In those days he had not written anything that had been printed. He lived away from home. During one of his infrequent visits be and Miss Baker met, and had it not been for her suggestion, after reading some of bis writings, he might never have thought of trying to publish his books. Most of them had been written after strenuous work had been finished, but from a boy he had been a brilliant student, had a remarkable memory, a thirst for knowledge, and a love of learning. His work took him over rough country, brought him into contact with pioneers, adventurers, and he could sum up a man, or a woman as easily as he could describe the conditions under which they lived.
{{
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link){{
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Miss Kate Baker left yesterday on a visit to Miss Miles Franklin in Sydney
The sponsors for the circular state that 'at long last public appreciation of her work is to receive recognition; her selfless service in the cause of Australian literature and authors is to receive its just reward while she is still with us.'
{{
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link)Miss Kate Baker, O.B.E., last year transferred all her rights in the copyright of Furphy's best work. "Such is Life," to his youngest and sole surviving son: Samuel Furphy.
{{
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)The' first edition, first issue, was put out in 1903. During World War I, Vance Palmer, visiting Sydney, inquired at the "Bulletin" office as to the terms on which the copyright would be sold. A search was made, and half the original issue of "Such is Life" was found lying among lumber, unbound and unregarded. The entire remaining stock, plus the copyright, were bought by Furphy's old friend, Miss Kate Baker, for £60. It was made available to the public with few changes from the original format. The binding bore the original pattern, an art-nouveau modification of the waratah; pages of advertisements were dropped; the new issue had a foreword by Mr. Palmer.
After that, I can only say about the newly arrived Australian Nursery Rhymes, by Harold Charles, with pictures by Esther and Betty Paterson and foreword by Kate Baker, OBE, that it looks very nice indeed to me - but who am I?
Miss Kate Baker has presented to the Public Library a collection of original writings and photographs of the Australian author Joseph Furphy, whose book "Such Is Life" won world-wide recognition. The Chief Librarian (Mr. McCallum) received the collection at a function In the Gallery.
A former resident of this city for 60 years, Miss Kate Baker, O.B.E., died on Wednesday, 7th October, at the' advanced age of; 93 years. She had latterly been residing at 58, Athelstan Road, Camberwell.
The funeral will leave St. Peter's Church, Eastern Hill, for Spring Vale crematorium after a service commencing at 9.30 this morning.
{{
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link)Kate Baker was a member of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties from its foundation 17 years ago, and was appointed a vice-president of that organisation a fort night before her death. She wrote to me from the Camberwell Hospital, in which she died, to say that she did not expect to leave that place, but would be with us in spirit to the end.
Miss Baker, who was born in Ireland, came to Australia with her mother in 1870, and taught at Victorian schools until her retirement in 1913. She met Furphy while teaching at Wanalta State School in 1886, and suggested he write his outback memoirs.
{{
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Furphy was one of Franklin's mentors and offered her the kind of encouragement he himself had received from the young school teacher Kate Baker who came to love him, mainly from a distance, and who preserved many of these letters.
Miss Kate Baker O.B.E.—whose interest in Australian writers has always been real and practical—contributes a Preface
{{
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link)For a long time [Joseph Furphy's] literary and intellectual interests were shared mainly with a young primary school teacher, Kate Baker, who recognised his intelligence and enjoyed his conversation. She was 44 and he 25 when they met and it's one of the revelations of this new biography that she was probably in love with him
When he met Kate Baker in 1886, his family, especially his mother, had no qualms about leaving the two of them alone to talk late into the night. His family accepted Joe's loquaciousness and must have known he was desperate for educated listeners. Later, when Baker, in the delirium of illness, wrote an apparently compromising letter to him, Leonie intercepted it and the whole family acted to prevent Furphy's planned visit to Melbourne for the Exhibition of 1888 (OT 180-81). Baker was one of his intellectual lifelines, however, and Furphy was not going to give her up because of the concerns of his wife and family. He persisted in the friendship, and she remained devoted for the rest of her life.
Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 01:55, 5 October 2020 (UTC)
Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 07:10, 5 October 2020 (UTC)
A former resident of this city for 60 years, Miss Kate Baker, O.B.E., died on Wednesday, 7th October, at the' advanced age of; 93 years. She had latterly been residing at 58, Athelstan Road, Camberwell.
Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 17:51, 4 October 2020 (UTC)
GA toolbox |
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Reviewing |
Reviewer: Whiteguru ( talk · contribs) 09:32, 6 June 2021 (UTC)
Starts Good Article Review Page. Hopefully we will start the review shortly. Thank you -- Whiteguru ( talk) 09:32, 6 June 2021 (UTC)
noted
Conclusion: Some minor corrections are noted above. Focus and balance in this article needs consideration. -- Whiteguru ( talk) 05:10, 13 June 2021 (UTC)
Your comments are noted and accepted. Please attend to the minor issue of Furphy's passing. -- Whiteguru ( talk) 23:02, 13 June 2021 (UTC)
All matters sorted. Article passes GA review. -- Whiteguru ( talk) 03:05, 14 June 2021 (UTC)
I need to switch this to {{ sfn}} notation. Mainly because I didn't know about this template. - Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 00:24, 8 June 2021 (UTC)
Why collapse the authority control? We don’t do that in any other articles. - Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 19:17, 13 June 2021 (UTC)
The result was: by
MeegsC (
talk) 20:36, 13 July 2021 (UTC)
Improved to Good Article status by Aussie Article Writer ( talk). Self-nominated at 06:55, 14 June 2021 (UTC).
General: Article is new enough and long enough |
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Policy: Article is sourced, neutral, and free of copyright problems |
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Hook eligibility:
influential figurein the main hook and
quintessential Australian novelfor both hooks?
Image: Image is freely licensed, used in the article, and clear at 100px. |
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QPQ: - Have you done one?
Overall:
ALT1 is more interesting.
JBchrch
talk 18:48, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
quintessential Australian novel of its periodlanguage? It would improve the length problem and also solve the sourcing issue. ALT1 is interesting enough to me without it. JBchrch talk 13:53, 24 June 2021 (UTC)
Is there any specific reason for OABot to be excluded from editing this page? The template was added in Special:Diff/1031479908, and I don't see why the editor decided to block the bot. I can't ask the editor in question as they have since been ArbCom blocked. If no one can see a reason for this to be here, I'd say the bot should be un-denied. Aidan9382 ( talk) 19:41, 8 June 2022 (UTC)
Kate Baker has been listed as one of the
Language and literature good articles under the
good article criteria. If you can improve it further,
please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can
reassess it. Review: June 14, 2021. ( Reviewed version). |
A fact from Kate Baker appeared on Wikipedia's
Main Page in the
Did you know column on 17 July 2021 (
check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
|
This article is rated GA-class on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Daily pageviews of this article
A graph should have been displayed here but
graphs are temporarily disabled. Until they are enabled again, visit the interactive graph at
pageviews.wmcloud.org |
Mr. Miles wrings my withers, though, when he suggests that the second edition of "Such is Life" (published in 1917) was not launched "with sufficient acumen," and advances this as a reason for not having heard of it. There were errors of "business judgment," he says. Probably, but l am interested in finding out what they were. The launching of the second edition was entrusted to Mr. Frederick Macartney and myself, a having been assuredby the "Bulletin" (from whom the sheets were obtained) that there were no commercial possibilities in the venture, we canvassed for possible subscribers. A prospectus was sent out containing critiques of "Such is Life," including one from Mr, Bernard O'Dowd, who spoke of the book as Australia's finest achievement in prose. An exhaustive search was made for people who might be expected to be interested and they were invited to subscribe. ... No; I can assure Mr. Miles that it is not easy to find a public in Australia for a good book of Australian origin. Probably Joseph Furphy's work would have been left for some antiquarian in the Mitchell library to unearth if it had not been for the enlightened energy of Miss Kate Baker. Not all writers are lucky enough to have such a devoted friend to act as their literary trustee.
But its enormous, length (approximately 550 pages when printed) was sufficient to scare even the most enthusiastic publisher, and no publication offer was forthcoming unless the author could bring it to a more conventional bulk. This Furphy was loth to do, but a close examination revealed one section that could profitably be deleted without in any way detracting from the story. This was done, and ultimately "Such Is Life" appeared between covers in 1903. The expurgated portion was printed serially in "Barrier Truth," a weekly newspaper published at Broken Hill, in 1905-6, under the title of "Rigby's Romance." This novel, which is a complete story in itself, was rescued from the files, by the initiative and energy of Kate Baker, a woman whose sterling character played a large part in the author's life, and was entered in 1921 in the Australian Novel Competition promoted by the short-lived C. J. De Garis Publishing House, Melbourne.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)A movement for the erection in Shepparton (Victoria) of a memorial tablet to Tom Collins (Joseph Furphy) has been launched by Miss Kate Baker and is receiving considerable support. When the full story of Tom Collins comes to be written, the untiring zeal of his standard-bearer, Kate Baker, will occupy a prominent place. 'Such is Life' was published by "The Bulletin" in 1903, but was quickly lost to the book-buying public. In 1916, Miss Baker collected and edited "The Poems of Joseph Furphy." In 1917 she was responsible for the second edition of "Such in Life,"this time by The Specialty Press, Melbourne, while, in 1921, she was responsible for the publication of "Rigby's Romance," which she had entered in the De Garis prize novel competition, securing honourable mention for the book. It is safe to say that no other Australian writer has ever had such a zealous sponsor of his work as Tom Collins has in Miss Kate Baker. He died in 1912 at Fremantle, but "Such is Life," the work by which his name is honoured in the annals of Australian literature, was written at Shepparton, where he spent 20 years of his life.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Tribute was paid to Miss Kate Baker, East Melbourne, who suggested the memorial.
The Henry Lawson Memorial and Literary Society presented Miss Kate Baker with a life membership certificate in recognition of her services
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link){{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link){{
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: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)At the monthly meeting of the Henry Lawson Memorial and Literary Society, Miss Kate Baker was presented by the president (Mrs. G. A. Hunter) with a life membership certificate in recognition of her services to Australian literature and to the Lawson Society.
In 1913 Miss Baker suffered a severe breakdown and retired from the Education Department. Three years later she published "The Poems of Joseph Furphy," and a year later bought from the publishers some 800 unbound copies of "Such Is Life," and so brought out another edition of that fine book, which had been unprocurable
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)The bronze plaque of Miss Kate Baker to be presented to her on December 14.
Arrangements for the ceremony are in the hand of Miss Kate Baker, of 76 George Street, East Melbourne...
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)An Interview with Miles Franklin, by Kate Baker, O.B.E.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link){{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Mr. [Edward Henry] Baker held the honorable position for five consecutive periods of Mayor of Hurstville; in which his integrity of character gained the respect of every section of the community. Mr. Baker is the brother of our respected townsmen, Messrs. Thomas Edward and Frances Sheffield Baker, and of Miss Kate Baker, at one time a teacher at both the Central and North Williamstown State Schools.
"Kate Baker, O.B.E." — Ed. Harrington
Miss Kate Baker has been given an O.B.E. decoration by the King for her work in connection with Australian literature. She is a sister of Mr Frank Baker, of Osborne street, and was a pupil, and later, teacher at the North State school, and afterwards at Newport.
Miss Kate Baker, [Miles Franklin's] collaborator in the win ning entry, has just left, Carlton for Melbourne after residing here with Miss Franklin for six months, during which period she attended meetings of the League.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Among the gathering were several of the teachers who had been on the staff during the regime of Mr Ulbrick ... Miss K. Baker, O.B.E.
Miss Kate Baker who is well known for her work for Joseph Furphy and through whose efforts "Such Is Life" has been kept before the public, left Melbourne recently to reside in Sydney.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)I was born in Ireland, God bless her—at Cappoquin, County Waterford. The very sound of the name "Ireland", gives me a sort of nostalgia of love and longing. I think the little village in which my childhood was passed could easily have been the original of "The Deserted Village." There, folk lived in amity and love. My mother (my father died when I was three months old), I remember, was held in a kind of worship by the simple country people.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)The function is the culmination of a patient woman's faith and hopes over a number of years— that of Miss Kate Baker, of Melbourne, friend, sponsor, editor, and literary executor of Joseph Furphy. Miss Baker conceived the idea of a memorial some years ago, and in 1932 she sought co-operation in Shepparton (Victoria), where Furphy lived for twenty years, and where 'Such is Life' was written. There was no response, and the ultimate choice of scene was Yarra Glen, where, it was found, a State school stood on the very site of the Furphy natal shack. Even then the form or scope of the memorial was not defined. Miss Baker's modest and almost solitary efforts attracted the notice of writers and critics, then of the Director of Education, and the movement became a public one.
Instrumental in having the unveiling ceremony carried out in a fitting manner is Miss Kate Baker, of 76 George street, East Melbourne,
Periodically there comes alone, by whom sent is a mystery as yet unsolved, a copy of a little paper, 'All About Books,' published in Melbourne. One of the most interesting pages of a recent number is devoted to Miss Kate Baker, and tells of the occasion when a group of her admirers presented her with a Portrait Plaque in Bronze by Wallace Anderson, Sculptor. In his presentation address which is printed In full, Bernard O' Dowd, the Australian poet, began by stating the reason of the meeting was to do bonor to Miss Kate Baker, who for many years, with simple devotion to an ideal, with unobtrusive patience, and considerable self sacrifice, and with an indomitable persistence that would have left many weary with aims unaccomplished, has tended the altarof our young literature, and has saved from the silver fish and mice some of the most precious of the archive, of that literature'. It was Kate Baker who. out of scanty means help ed to put Tom Collins, author of 'Such is Life' on the Literary map. In her reply to Bernard O' Dowd, and in expressing her thanks to those who had presented the plaque, Miss Baker's fine mind and human personality was revealed. On the cover of this little magazine is a reproduction of 'The Plaque of Miss Kate Baker, presented to her by admirers of her work, on behalf of Australian Literature'. This shows a woman with a fine brow, penetrating eyes, well shaped mouth, and a general look of big-mindedness and sincerity.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)AS one who has been shown several kindnesses by Miss Kate Baker, who, made possible the publication in book form of "Tom Collins's" "Such Is Life," I wish to record my pleasure at the thought which moved her admirers to commission Mr. Wallace Anderson, the sculptor, to "do" the handsome bronze plaque of her now on exhibition in Robertson and Mullens' window, Elizabeth-street. The plaque is being presented to Miss Baker for "her selfless services to Australian literature and writers." Such women as Miss Baker are in the true Horniman and Lady Gregory tradition. May her years be long.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Miss Kate Baker, of George-street, East Melbourne, for over 20 years has been doing very good work in the interests of Australian literature. It was due to her efforts after she had read the manuscript that the works of Joseph Furphy (better known as Tom Collins) were published. She was also largely responsible for the publication of the poems of another Australian, John Shaw Neilson.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)For some time now It has been impossible to obtain a copy of this book ["Such is Life"]. The one I have just read was sent to me from Victoria, by one of those anxious to make Tom Collins live in the minds of the present generation. Before long though Jonathan Cape the London publisher, will put the long-out-of-print book on the market.
This new edition is the result of the work of Miss Kate Baker, who might claim, if she were less modest, that she 'discovered Tom Collins.' As a young woman, Miss Baker went as school teacher in the district where the author's parents lived. In those days he had not written anything that had been printed. He lived away from home. During one of his infrequent visits be and Miss Baker met, and had it not been for her suggestion, after reading some of bis writings, he might never have thought of trying to publish his books. Most of them had been written after strenuous work had been finished, but from a boy he had been a brilliant student, had a remarkable memory, a thirst for knowledge, and a love of learning. His work took him over rough country, brought him into contact with pioneers, adventurers, and he could sum up a man, or a woman as easily as he could describe the conditions under which they lived.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link){{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Miss Kate Baker left yesterday on a visit to Miss Miles Franklin in Sydney
The sponsors for the circular state that 'at long last public appreciation of her work is to receive recognition; her selfless service in the cause of Australian literature and authors is to receive its just reward while she is still with us.'
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link){{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)Miss Kate Baker, O.B.E., last year transferred all her rights in the copyright of Furphy's best work. "Such is Life," to his youngest and sole surviving son: Samuel Furphy.
{{
cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (
link)The' first edition, first issue, was put out in 1903. During World War I, Vance Palmer, visiting Sydney, inquired at the "Bulletin" office as to the terms on which the copyright would be sold. A search was made, and half the original issue of "Such is Life" was found lying among lumber, unbound and unregarded. The entire remaining stock, plus the copyright, were bought by Furphy's old friend, Miss Kate Baker, for £60. It was made available to the public with few changes from the original format. The binding bore the original pattern, an art-nouveau modification of the waratah; pages of advertisements were dropped; the new issue had a foreword by Mr. Palmer.
After that, I can only say about the newly arrived Australian Nursery Rhymes, by Harold Charles, with pictures by Esther and Betty Paterson and foreword by Kate Baker, OBE, that it looks very nice indeed to me - but who am I?
Miss Kate Baker has presented to the Public Library a collection of original writings and photographs of the Australian author Joseph Furphy, whose book "Such Is Life" won world-wide recognition. The Chief Librarian (Mr. McCallum) received the collection at a function In the Gallery.
A former resident of this city for 60 years, Miss Kate Baker, O.B.E., died on Wednesday, 7th October, at the' advanced age of; 93 years. She had latterly been residing at 58, Athelstan Road, Camberwell.
The funeral will leave St. Peter's Church, Eastern Hill, for Spring Vale crematorium after a service commencing at 9.30 this morning.
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link)Kate Baker was a member of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties from its foundation 17 years ago, and was appointed a vice-president of that organisation a fort night before her death. She wrote to me from the Camberwell Hospital, in which she died, to say that she did not expect to leave that place, but would be with us in spirit to the end.
Miss Baker, who was born in Ireland, came to Australia with her mother in 1870, and taught at Victorian schools until her retirement in 1913. She met Furphy while teaching at Wanalta State School in 1886, and suggested he write his outback memoirs.
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link)Furphy was one of Franklin's mentors and offered her the kind of encouragement he himself had received from the young school teacher Kate Baker who came to love him, mainly from a distance, and who preserved many of these letters.
Miss Kate Baker O.B.E.—whose interest in Australian writers has always been real and practical—contributes a Preface
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link)For a long time [Joseph Furphy's] literary and intellectual interests were shared mainly with a young primary school teacher, Kate Baker, who recognised his intelligence and enjoyed his conversation. She was 44 and he 25 when they met and it's one of the revelations of this new biography that she was probably in love with him
When he met Kate Baker in 1886, his family, especially his mother, had no qualms about leaving the two of them alone to talk late into the night. His family accepted Joe's loquaciousness and must have known he was desperate for educated listeners. Later, when Baker, in the delirium of illness, wrote an apparently compromising letter to him, Leonie intercepted it and the whole family acted to prevent Furphy's planned visit to Melbourne for the Exhibition of 1888 (OT 180-81). Baker was one of his intellectual lifelines, however, and Furphy was not going to give her up because of the concerns of his wife and family. He persisted in the friendship, and she remained devoted for the rest of her life.
Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 01:55, 5 October 2020 (UTC)
Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 07:10, 5 October 2020 (UTC)
A former resident of this city for 60 years, Miss Kate Baker, O.B.E., died on Wednesday, 7th October, at the' advanced age of; 93 years. She had latterly been residing at 58, Athelstan Road, Camberwell.
Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 17:51, 4 October 2020 (UTC)
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Reviewer: Whiteguru ( talk · contribs) 09:32, 6 June 2021 (UTC)
Starts Good Article Review Page. Hopefully we will start the review shortly. Thank you -- Whiteguru ( talk) 09:32, 6 June 2021 (UTC)
noted
Conclusion: Some minor corrections are noted above. Focus and balance in this article needs consideration. -- Whiteguru ( talk) 05:10, 13 June 2021 (UTC)
Your comments are noted and accepted. Please attend to the minor issue of Furphy's passing. -- Whiteguru ( talk) 23:02, 13 June 2021 (UTC)
All matters sorted. Article passes GA review. -- Whiteguru ( talk) 03:05, 14 June 2021 (UTC)
I need to switch this to {{ sfn}} notation. Mainly because I didn't know about this template. - Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 00:24, 8 June 2021 (UTC)
Why collapse the authority control? We don’t do that in any other articles. - Aussie Article Writer ( talk) 19:17, 13 June 2021 (UTC)
The result was: by
MeegsC (
talk) 20:36, 13 July 2021 (UTC)
Improved to Good Article status by Aussie Article Writer ( talk). Self-nominated at 06:55, 14 June 2021 (UTC).
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Hook eligibility:
influential figurein the main hook and
quintessential Australian novelfor both hooks?
Image: Image is freely licensed, used in the article, and clear at 100px. |
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QPQ: - Have you done one?
Overall:
ALT1 is more interesting.
JBchrch
talk 18:48, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
quintessential Australian novel of its periodlanguage? It would improve the length problem and also solve the sourcing issue. ALT1 is interesting enough to me without it. JBchrch talk 13:53, 24 June 2021 (UTC)
Is there any specific reason for OABot to be excluded from editing this page? The template was added in Special:Diff/1031479908, and I don't see why the editor decided to block the bot. I can't ask the editor in question as they have since been ArbCom blocked. If no one can see a reason for this to be here, I'd say the bot should be un-denied. Aidan9382 ( talk) 19:41, 8 June 2022 (UTC)