Max Fatchen

Max Fatchen (born Maxwell Edgar Fatchen, 3 August 1920) is an Australian journalist and children's writer.

Max Fatchen spent his boyhood on an Adelaide Plains farm at Angle Vale. He learned to drive a team of Clydesdale horses and did part of his High School studies at home, driving his horse and buggy in once a week to Gawler High School to get his papers corrected. Later he entered journalism as a copy boy and after five years in the Australian Army^[1] and Royal Australian Air Force^[2] during World War II became a journalist with the The News and later The Advertiser. He covered many major stories in Australia and overseas. He began writing for children in 1966 and has been writing for them ever since. He has written 20 books, his novels appear in seven countries and his poetry throughout the English-speaking world. He writes for children in the primary school group.

Three of his books have received commendation in the Children's Book of the Year Award. He received the Order of Australia in 1980^[3], the Advance Australia Award for literature in 1991, the Walkley Award for journalism in 1996,^[4] the Primary English Teaching Associations Award for children's poetry in 1996 and the SA Great Award for Literature in 1999 and the 2003 Centenary of Federation Medal for service to the community in journalism, poetry and writing for children. He was made Inaugural Life Member of SA Writers Centre in 2004 for long years of support, encouragement and ambassadorship for the Centre.

References

1. ^ "FATCHEN, MAXWELL EDGAR - Australian Army". World War Two Nominal Roll - Army. Commonwealth of Australia. http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran.asp?ServiceID=A&VeteranID=705491. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
2. ^ "FATCHEN, MAXWELL EDGAR - Royal Australian Air Force". World War Two Nominal Roll - RAAF. Commonwealth of Australia. http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran.asp?ServiceID=R&VeteranID=887952. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
3. ^ "FATCHEN, Maxwell Edgar". It's An Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=883070&search_type=simple&showInd=true. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
4. ^ Votes and Proceedings of the House of Assembly, Wednesday 4 December 1996

External links

• Profile at The Adelaide Advertiser
• State Library of South Australia fact sheet

Persondata
Name	Fatchen, Max
Alternative names
Short description	Author and journalist
Date of birth	3 August 1920
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death