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Elizabeth Riddell

1910 – 1998

Australian poet and journalist

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About Elizabeth Riddell

Lived 1910 – 1998 (aged 88). Elizabeth Riddell was an Australian journalist, poet and writer.

Elizabeth Riddell (21 March 1910 – 3 July 1998) was a New Zealand-born Australian poet and journalist.

Life Born in Napier, New Zealand, Elizabeth Richmond Riddell came to Australia in 1928 where she worked at Smith's Weekly and won a Walkley Award.

She married Edward Neville 'Blue' Greatorex (1901–1964) in Sydney in 1935. The couple did not have children. In 1935 she moved to England and during World War II worked for Ezra Norton at The Daily Mirror, chiefly in New York City. Her first short book of poems, The Untrammelled, was published in 1940. After the war she returned to Australia to continue working as a journalist, and in the 1960s became art critic and feature writer for The Australian. She was the first Walkley Award winner for The Australian, winning in 1968 and 1969 for 'Best Newspaper Feature Story'. In 1986 she was awarded Critic of the Year by the Australian Book Review. Riddell's poetry won the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry in 1992 and the Patrick White Award in 1995.

Widowed in 1964, Riddell died in 1998. Poems by Elizabeth Riddell "The Children March" 1944 Australian Poetry 1943 edited by H. M. Green Forbears, Angus and Robertson, 1961, p. 27

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Awards
Patrick White Award; Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry; Christopher Brennan Award

People in Elizabeth Riddell's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

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Frequently asked questions

Who was Elizabeth Riddell?

Australian poet and journalist

When was Elizabeth Riddell born?

Elizabeth Riddell was born on 21 March 1910 in Napier.

When did Elizabeth Riddell die?

Elizabeth Riddell died on 3 July 1998 in Sydney.

What was Elizabeth Riddell's occupation?

Elizabeth Riddell was a journalist, poet and writer.

What nationality was Elizabeth Riddell?

Elizabeth Riddell was Australian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Elizabeth Riddell

· Wikidata: Q5363426

· DBpedia: Elizabeth Riddell

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Elizabeth Riddell. https://biography.guide/elizabeth-riddell/

MLA: "Elizabeth Riddell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/elizabeth-riddell/.

Chicago: "Elizabeth Riddell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/elizabeth-riddell/.

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