{{Short description|Author novelist and short story author (1868 - 1935)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox writer <!-- For more information see :Template:Infobox Writer/doc. --> | image = Steele Rudd.jpg | imagesize = | alt = | pseudonym = Steele Rudd | birth_name = Arthur Hoey Davis | birth_date = {{birth date|1868|11|14|df=y}} | birth_place = Drayton, Queensland, Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|1935|10|11|1868|11|14|df=y}} | death_place = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | resting_place = Toowong Cemetery | occupation = Author | language = | nationality = Australian | ethnicity = | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = | period = | genre = | subject = | movement = Bulletin School | notableworks = On Our Selection, Rudd's Magazine | spouse = Violet Christina Davis | partner = Winifred Hamilton, Beatrice Sharp | children = | relatives = | influences = | influenced = | awards = King George V Silver Jubilee Medal | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | portaldisp = }}
'''Steele Rudd''' was the pen name of '''Arthur Hoey Davis''' (14 November 1868 – 11 October 1935) an Australian author, best known for his short story collection ''On Our Selection''.
In 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, Rudd was named one of the Q150 Icons for his role in Queensland literature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301|title=Premier unveils Queensland's 150 icons|last=Bligh|first=Anna|author-link=Anna Bligh|date=10 June 2009|publisher=Queensland Government|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524033717/http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301|archive-date=24 May 2017|access-date=24 May 2017}}</ref>
==Early life== Davis was born at Drayton near Toowoomba, Queensland, the son of Thomas Davis (1828–1904), a blacksmith from Abernant in south Wales who arrived to Australia in 1847 due to a five-year conviction for petty theft, and Mary, née Green (1835–1893) an Irishwoman from Galway who was driven to emigrate by the Great Famine.<ref name="adb Steele Rubb"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sclqld.org.au/schp/exhibitions/rudd/In%20Search%20of%20Steele%20Rudd.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080721112445/http://www.sclqld.org.au/schp/exhibitions/rudd/In%20Search%20of%20Steele%20Rudd.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2008 |title=In Search of Steele Rudd |first=Richard |last=Fotheringham |date=22 August 2003}}</ref>
In 1889, Davis moved to the sheriff's office and he began writing a column on rowing in a weekly paper. He needed a pseudonym and adopted "Steele Rudder", the first name from the English essayist Richard Steele, the second chosen because he wanted to bring into his name some part of a boat. Later it was shortened to "Steele Rudd".<ref name="adb Steele Rubb"/> During his time as under sheriff,<ref name=kenniff>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19208089 |title=Execution of Patrick Kenniff |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |date=13 January 1903 |access-date=18 December 2015 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Davis had to give the signal at the hanging of Patrick Kenniff which left him nervous and irritable for months after the event.<ref name="adb Steele Rubb">{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |id2=davis-arthur-hoey-5911 |title=Davis, Arthur Hoey (1868–1935) |first=Van |last=Ikin |volume=8 |year=1981 |access-date=18 December 2015}}</ref>
==Writing career== His reputation was established by his short stories of country life. The 1920 movie ''On Our Selection'' and 1932–1952 radio series ''Dad and Dave'' helped turn the characters into Australian cultural icons.
Davis, however, detested his struggling but admirable family being made into comic yokels, and had nothing to do with the radio program.<ref>Kent, Jacqueline. (1983). ''Out of the Bakelite Box: the heyday of Australian radio.'' Angus and Robertson. pp 35–39. {{ISBN|0-207-14486-9}}.</ref> There is no character called 'Mabel' attached to Dave anywhere in the entire Rudd canon of fiction: Dave briefly had a girlfriend called Fanny in one story, and he eventually married a girl called Lily.<ref>'Dave in Love' appears in ''Our new Selection'' and 'Dave Brings Home a Wife' in ''Back at Our Selection''.</ref> Davis had a profound respect for the pioneering Australian woman, and he was particularly incensed by the use of 'Mum' when referring to Mrs Rudd. "'It is 'Mother', 'Mother', Mother!' he would shout, flushed in the face."{{sfnp|FitzHenry|1954|p=xviii}}
thumb|200px|right| Steele Rudd statue in King George Square, Brisbane
A replica of Rudd's shingle hut can still be seen at the town of Nobby, Queensland.<ref name=TCOF>The replica hut is situated onSteele Rudd Rd at East Greenmount not Nobby. [http://www.tcof.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=64&Itemid=1058 3. Half Day – Steele Rudd Country Drive], – Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers</ref> There is a statue of Steele Rudd at the Speakers' Corner in King George Square in Brisbane.<ref name=YBPP>[http://www.yourbrisbanepastandpresent.com/2009/12/king-george-square.html King George Square], – Your Brisbane Past and Present</ref> There is also a residential college named "Steele Rudd" at the University of Southern Queensland campus.<ref name=USQ>[http://www.usq.edu.au/accommodation/steelerudd Steele Rudd College], – University of Southern Queensland</ref>
There are copper statues of Dad, Dave, Mum and Mabel at Gundagai.<ref name=GSS>[http://www.gundagai.nsw.gov.au/tourism/2244/2246.html Dad, Dave, Mum & Mabel], – Gundagai Shire Council</ref>
==Bibliography== [[File:Steele Rudd's grave.jpg|thumb|Steele Rudd's grave<ref>[https://online.brisbane.qld.gov.au/cemeteries/cemeteries_step3.jsp?mapdisplay=168821 Davis, Arthur Hoey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601222149/https://online.brisbane.qld.gov.au/cemeteries/cemeteries_step3.jsp?mapdisplay=168821 |date=1 June 2012 }} – City Council Grave Location Search</ref> at Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane]] [[File:Steeleruddmonument.JPG|thumb|Monument<ref>[http://www.publicmemory.org/ToowoombaLiteraryHistory/RuddMemorial.htm Steele Rudd Memorial at Drayton] – Toowoomba's Literary History</ref> celebrating the birthplace of Arthur Hoey Davis at Drayton, Queensland.]]
===Novels===
* ''In Australia'' (1908) * ''Duncan McClure : Being Part II of 'The Poor Parson' ''(1909) * ''The Book of Dan'' (1911) * ''The Old Homestead'' (1913) * ''Memoirs of Corporal Keeley'' (1918) * ''We Kaytons'' (1919) * ''On Emu Creek'' (1922) * ''Me an' th' Son'' (1924) * ''The Miserable Clerk'' (1924) * ''The Romance of Runnibede'' (1927) * ''Green Grey Homestead'' (1934)
===Short story collections=== * ''On Our Selection'' (1899) (sold over 250,000 copies) * ''Our New Selection'' (1903) * ''Sandy's Selection'' (1904) * ''Back at Our Selection'' (1906) * ''The Poor Parson'' (1907) * ''Dad in Politics and Other Stories'' (1908) * ''For Life and Other Stories'' (1908) * ''Stocking Our Selection'' (1909) * ''From Selection to City'' (1909) * ''On an Australian Farm'' (1910) * ''The Dashwoods'' (1911) illustrated by Claude Marquet * ''Grandpa's Selection'' (1916)<ref name="grandad">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|title=Forgotten Australian Films: Grandad Rudd|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-films-grandad-rudd/|date=28 October 2025|access-date=28 October 2025}}</ref> * ''The Rudd Family'' (1926) illustrated by Percy Lindsay ===Plays=== *''McClure and the Parson'' (1916)
==Quotation== In his 1908 book, ''Dad in Politics'', Davis satirises political life in the opening sentence:
{{cquote| Smith, the member for our district, died one day, and we forgot all about him the next. Not that a politician is ever remembered much after he dies, but Smith had been a blind, bigoted, old Tory, and was better dead. Politicians are mostly better dead, so far as other people and their country is concerned …}}
This quotation is often used to illustrate the cynicism of Australians towards the political class. FitzHenry notes that Davis's satirical depiction of individual members of the Queensland Parliament was so close to reality that he was almost called to the Bar of the House of Parliament for breach of parliamentary privilege.<ref>{{harvnb|FitzHenry|1954|p=xx}}. In this case, ''called to the Bar'' refers to an ordinary citizen being summoned to answer charges of contempt of Parliament.</ref>
==Dramatisation== * 1912 ''Our Selection'' was performed as adapted by actor Bert Bailey ( 1868–1935)<ref>{{Citation | title=Australasia's biggest success ... commencing Thursday, Dec. 26th, 1912, for a limited number of nights, the Bert Bailey New Dramatic Company ... On our selection | author1=Bailey, Bert, 1868–1953 | author2=Duggan, Edmund, 1862?–1938 | author3=Grant, Julius | author4=Bertram, Bert, 1893–1991 | author5=Rudd, Steele, 1868–1935. On our selection | author6=J.C. Williamson (Firm) | author7=Bert Bailey New Dramatic Company | author8=Theatre Royal (Christchurch, N.Z.) | year=1912 | language=en | url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-343483405 }}</ref>
A play titled ''The Execution of Steele Rudd'' by Australian playwright Harry Reade was first staged in 1981 by the National Theatre at the Playhouse, Perth, directed by Stephen Barry. It portrays the character and actions of Davis who is employed in the sheriff's office, managing arrangements for the execution of two criminals. The play was also staged by Melbourne's Playbox Theatre in 1983.
==See also== *Selection (Australian history)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Bibliography== * {{Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=Arthur Hoey|Last=Davis|shortlink=0-dict-biogD.html#davis1}} * {{cite book |last=FitzHenry |first=W E |year=1954 |chapter=Foreword |title=Steele Rudd: On Our Selection and Our New Selection |publisher=Angus and Robertson}} * {{cite book |last=Lindsay |first=Norman |year=1973 |chapter=Steele Rudd |title=Bohemians of the Bulletin |publisher=Angus and Robertson Classics |isbn=0-207-12946-0}} * {{cite book |editor=Cantrell, Leon |year=1977 |title=A. G. Stephens: selected writings |publisher=Angus and Robertson |isbn=0-207-13244-5}}
== External links == * {{Gutenberg author |id=1261| name=Steele Rudd}} * {{Internet Archive author |sname=Steele Rudd}} * {{Librivox author |id=10892}} * Listen to the first episode of 'Dad and Dave from Snake Gully' from 1937 on [https://aso.gov.au/titles/radio/dad-and-dave-snake-gully-ep-1/clip1/ australianscreen online] * 'Dad and Dave from Snake Gully' was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry in 2007 * [http://www.classicaustraliantv.com/SnakeGully.htm Dad & Dave at Snake Gully – film & TV series] * {{IMDb name|0748630}} * [http://www.nla.gov.au/openpublish/index.php/jasal/article/view/239/748 Julieanne Lamond 'The Ghost of Dad Rudd, On the Stump' ''JASAL'' 6 (2007)] * [http://www.liveperformance.com.au/halloffame/steelerudd1.html Steele Rudd] at Live Performance Australia Hall of Fame
{{Dad and Dave}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudd, Steele}} Category:1868 births Category:1935 deaths Category:Australian male short story writers Category:People from Toowoomba Category:Burials at Toowong Cemetery Category:19th-century Australian short story writers Category:20th-century Australian short story writers Category:20th-century Australian novelists Category:20th-century Australian male writers Category:Colony of Queensland people