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| Manuscript Name | Papers of Christine Townend |
| Manuscript Number | MSS 304 |
| Last Updated | October 2021 |
| Extent | 3.5 cm (3 folders, 1 box) |
| Location | Special Collections, UNSW Canberra |
| Abstract | This collection comprises manuscript papers and related material produced or accumulated by Christine Townend. |
Scope and Content
This collection includes a draft of Pulling the wool : a new look at the Australian wool industry (1985); poetry drafts; and two articles entitled 'Report on a visit to Bahrain and Kuwait' and 'Towards a rural economic policy'.
Date Range of Content
1985
Biographical Note
Christine Elizabeth Townend nèe Woolcott was born on 20 July 1944 in Melbourne, Victoria, and grew up in the lower North Shore area of Sydney. She has published poetry, short stories, novels and books on animal rights. She founded Animal Liberation (now known as Animals Australia) in Australia in 1976, based on the philosophies of Professor Peter Singer. She went on to manage Help in Suffering a registered Indian charitable trust working for the benefit of the animals of India. It has shelters in Jaipur and Kalimpong. Townend and her husband Jeremy live in the Blue Mountains and spend half of each year at Help in Suffering in India.
Townend joined the Australian Democrats and ran for election on their ticket four times, always emphasising care for the environment and animals. She was Secretary of the Australian and New Zealand Federation of Animal Societies, a member of the NSW Animal Welfare Advisory Council and the CSIRO Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Animals in Research.
Townend is also a talented artist, and her artwork is on display at various galleries.
Townend has published short stories and poetry in several periodicals and anthologies. She is also the author of two novels, a book on the teachings of Vimala Thakar, and books and articles on animal liberation, including:
The beginning of everything and the end of everything else (1974)
Travels with myself (1976)
In defence of living things (1980)
A voice for the animals : how Animal Liberation grew (1981)
Pulling the wool : a new look at the Australian wool industry 1985
The hidden master : from 'I' to Itness on Vimalaji's teaching (2002).
The journalist and author John Little published in 2006 Christine's ark : the extraordinary story of Christine Townend and an Indian animal shelter.
References:
The Oxford companion to Australian literature, 2nd ed., 1994, p. 752
NW Australian women biographical entry on Christine Townend http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE2027b.htm, retrieved 21 February 2008.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Papers of Christine Townend, Special Collections, UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, MS 304, Box [Number], Folder [Number].
Provenance
This collection was donated to the Academy Library, UNSW Canberra by Christine Townend in 1986.
Access Terms
Topical Subjects
Authors -- Australia -- Archives.
Wool industry -- Australia.
Animal welfare -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Australia.
Container List
Box 1
Folder 1
Annotated carbon and photocopy typescript draft of Pulling the wool : a new look at the Australian wool industry, published by Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1985
Folder 2
Two articles
Annotated typescript draft and two annotated photocopy typescript drafts of an article entitled 'Towards a rural economic policy'
Annotated photocopy typescript draft of an article entitled 'Report on a visit to Bahrain and Kuwait, 14th-19th April inclusive'
Folder 3
Annotated typescript, carbon and photocopy typescript drafts of published and unpublished poetry,
Including:
'The brown butterfly', 'The mad son', 'Friends', 'Pigeons in Hyde Park', 'Wind while camping', 'To my niece', 'Meditating', 'Wild birds', 'Trees', 'Today', 'Human purpose', 'Black dog', 'Waking up', 'People you meet when travelling', 'My son takes me into the bush', 'Bushwalking', 'The bus driver', 'Kangaroos', 'The old camera', 'Songs of a bushwalker', 'Poem about friendship', 'Waking', 'Maps', first line 'Some years ago I made vows'