Ken Spillman
Australian writer and editor

Ken Spillman
Born (1959-06-11) 11 June 1959 (age 66)
London, England, United Kingdom
Pen nameKenneth Gaunt[1]
Alma materNewman College, Perth, Griffith University, Murdoch University
Website
www.kenspillman.com

Ken Spillman (born 11 June 1959[2]) is an Australian writer based in Perth, Western Australia, whose work has spanned diverse genres including poetry, sports writing and literary criticism. He is best known as a prolific author of books for children and young adults. His output also includes a large number of books relating to aspects of Australian social history.

Early life

Born in London to Australian parents, Spillman spent his childhood in Sydney and Perth. He was active in amateur theatre during his teens and also performed in a school rock band. Encouraged to write by a teacher at Newman College, Perth, he began publishing poetry and stories after moving to Brisbane to attend Griffith University.[3]

Non-fiction career

From 1977 Spillman began an association with Griffith University academic Ross Fitzgerald, researching Fitzgerald's book From the Dreaming to 1915: A History of Queensland. The pair later collaborated in compiling a landmark collection of literary writing on Australian rules football, The Greatest Game, as well as Fathers in Writing.

Spillman's first major solo publication was concerning the history of Subiaco, Western Australia, Identity Prized,[4] which was launched by Sir Paul Hasluck, a former Governor-General, at an open-air function attended by more than a thousand people. Spillman returned for a follow-up history of Subiaco some 20 years later.[5] Tied in with writing and research of the Subiaco book, he also conducted interviews which are now part of the Battye Library oral history collection. After completing this book, Spillman worked with Professor Gordon Reid on a thematic history of the Parliament of Australia.

Subsequently, Spillman wrote books on mining in Western Australia, Bankwest, the Shire of Mundaring, the Shire of Victoria Plains, Edith Cowan University, a surf lifesaving club, a ballet college, a major hospital and a number of Western Australian schools and sporting clubs.

According to Rod Moran, former books editor of The West Australian, "Ken Spillman writes history in a marvellously lucid style, one enhanced further by a keen turn of phrase, or sharp observation, at an appropriate moment in the narrative. He writes the history of institutions with a deep sense of their broader context, and underpins his analysis with an admirable command of the primary sources."[6]

In 2008, after the publication of his 17th work of non-fiction, Spillman gave priority to his fiction career. He returned to non-fiction with a history of swimming in Western Australia in 2018[7] and has continued to publish books of history and biography.

Between 2020 and 2023, Spillman worked with Peter Dowding to unravel the story of Bruce Dowding, a key figure in World War II escape and evasion who was beheaded by the Nazis in 1943.[8]

Fiction career

After a successful full-length fiction debut in 1999 with the highly acclaimed novel Blue, Spillman wrote three children's books with writer and comedian Jon Doust. One of these, Magpie Mischief was shortlisted for a Wilderness Society Environment Award. These collaborations were subsequently re-released as ebooks with new illustrations by James Foley.

Spillman's 2007 novel for teenagers, Love Is a UFO won the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards, but his international success can be traced to the launch of the "Jake" series of books for early readers, which began with Jake's Gigantic List in 2009.[9] A celebration of books and reading, Jake's Gigantic List is dedicated to the Children's Book Council of Australia, to which Spillman has donated royalties. The Jake series has appeared in close to 20 nations and languages, and is especially popular in India.

In 2011, Spillman launched another series for young readers titled The Absolutely True Fantasies of Daydreamer Dev. Four years later, his 12-book "Virtues" series was released in South East Asia. This drew its inspiration from the global, grass-roots Virtues Project, founded in Canada in 1991. Myra Garces-Bacsal, a professor at Singapore's National Institute of Education, wrote of this series: "This series by Ken Spillman demonstrates sensitivity towards children's emotions and profound respect for children's judgement, without being didactic."[10]

Spillman's picture books include The Strange Story of Felicity Frown, The Great Storyteller, Rahul and the Dream Bat, The Auto That Flew, The Magic Bird and Clumsy! He has also written a picture book for all ages titled The Circle. This deals with such issues as deforestation, human displacement, refugees and multiculturalism.

Selected works

Non-fiction

  • (1985) Identity Prized : a history of Subiaco Nedlands, W.A. : University of Western Australia Press for the City of Subiaco ISBN 0-85564-239-4
  • (1988) Custodians and Champions : the story of the City of Perth Surf Life Saving Club Perth, W.A : The Club. ISBN 0-7316-4257-0
  • (1989) Horizons: A history of the R&I Bank of Western Australia / Nedlands, W.A. : University of Western Australia Press, ISBN 0-85564-303-X
  • (1993) A Rich Endowment : government and mining in Western Australia 1829–1994 Nedlands, W.A : University of Western Australia Press for the Dept. of Minerals and Energy in association with the Centre for Western Australian History, the University of Western Australia, ISBN 1-875560-23-8
  • (1997) A Club for All Seasons : the story of the Wembley Athletic Club 1926–1996 / by Andy Collins and Ken Spillman. Wembley, W.A. : The Club, 1997. ISBN 0-646-32355-5
  • (1998, 2000) Diehards : the story of the Subiaco Football Club Subiaco, W.A. : Subiaco Football Club, 1896–2000. ISBN 0-646-35834-0 (pt. I) ISBN 0-9578185-0-5 (pt. II)
  • (2003) Life was meant to be here : community and local government in the Shire of Mundaring Mundaring, W.A. : Shire of Mundaring, ISBN 0-9592776-2-5
  • (2005) Hands to the Plough : the Shire of Victoria Plains since 1945 . Calingiri, W.A. : Shire of Victoria Plains. ISBN 0646455877
  • (2006) Tales of a Singular City : Subiaco since the 1970s . Subiaco, W.A. : City of Subiaco. ISBN 0-9590016-6-2
  • (2006) Raising Edith : the transformation of a new generation university : Edith Cowan University 1995–2005 Mount Lawley, W.A. : Edith Cowan University. ISBN 0-7298-0618-9
  • (2007) For the Good of Many: The story of the Australian Pensioners' League and Retirees WA / Perth, W.A.: Retirees WA.
  • (2008) Fifty and counting: Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital's first half century / Nedlands, W.A.: Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. ISBN 978-1-74052-166-6
  • (2011) Diehards : the story of the Subiaco Football Club : the glory years / Subiaco Football Club. ISBN 9780957818514
  • (2012) Secrets of Reaching 100 : A tribute to 15 Western Australian centenarian women (edited by Ken Spillman) / Bethanie.
  • (2014) No Ordinary Days : A journey of activism, globe-trotting and unexpected pleasure (Susan Sygall, co-author) / Outer Hebrides Press. ISBN 9780692253458
  • (2018) Buoyant : A History of Swimming in Western Australia / Swimming WA. ISBN 9780646995564
  • (2019) The Giving Pantry : Foodbank and hunger relief in Western Australia 1994-2019 / Foodbank Centre for Hunger Relief. ISBN 9780646805153
  • (2020) Servants of Australian Communities : Stories from people in Local Government (edited by Ken Spillman) ISBN 9780646822341
  • (2021) The Right Spirit : A History of ACC Sport / Associated & Catholic Colleges of Western Australia. ISBN 9780646848563
  • (2022) Making a Difference : The Life and Career of Sue Morey / Institute for Respiratory Health (Australia). ISBN 9780646832784
  • (2023) More Than I Am : yoga wisdom for 21st century teens (Varuna Shunglu, co-author) / HarperCollins. ISBN 9789356294837
  • (2023) Secret Agent, Unsung Hero : the valour of Bruce Dowding (Peter Dowding, co-author) / Pen & Sword Books / ISBN 9781399055444
  • (2025) Not By Bread Alone: The Life of Jerome Rodoreda / Abbey Press / ISBN 9781763704121


Fiction

References

  1. ^ "Ken Spillman | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories".
  2. ^ https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/spillman-ken-1959
  3. ^ https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/spillman-ken-1959
  4. ^ Ken Spillman – literary award brings problems'. The West Australian, 6 June 1986, p. 11 f-g also Ken Spillman – wins prize for book on Subiaco West Australian, 28 Feb. 1986, p. 14 f-g
  5. ^ Spillman, Ken (2006): Tales of a singular city : Subiaco since the 1970s. Subiaco, W.A. : City of Subiaco, 2006.ISBN 0-9590016-6-2.
  6. ^ Cover notes, Spillman (2008), Fifty and counting: Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital's First Half Century
  7. ^ Spillman, K. (2018), Buoyant: A History of Swimming in Western Australia. Swimming WA ISBN 9780646995564
  8. ^ Dowding, P. and Spillman, K. (2023), Secret Agent, Unsung Hero: The Valour of Bruce Dowding ISBN 9781399055444
  9. ^ Murphy, David (1 November 2009), "Spillman, Ken (text) Chris Nixon (illus.): Jake's Giant List.(Brief article)(Book review)", Reading Time, 53 (4), Children's Book Council of Australia: 30(1), ISSN 0155-218X
  10. ^ M Garces-Bacsal, Note to parents and educators, in Spillman, K. (2015), Sophie's Moment of Truth. Armour Publishing ISBN 9789814668392
  • Official website
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