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Sheila Natusch

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Sheila Natusch
MNZM
Born
Sheila Ellen Traill

(1926-02-14)14 February 1926
Invercargill, New Zealand
Died10 August 2017(2017-08-10) (aged 91)
Wellington, New Zealand
Alma materUniversity of Otago
Spouse
Gilbert Gardner Natusch
​
​
(m. 1950; died 2005)​
RelativesRoy Traill (father)
Eliza Wohlers (great-grandmother)
Johan Wohlers (great-grandfather)

Sheila Ellen Natusch MNZM (née Traill, 14 February 1926 – 10 August 2017) was a New Zealand writer and freelance illustrator. Many of her books cover natural history and the history of southern New Zealand, particularly Stewart Island.

Early life and family

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Born Sheila Ellen Traill in Invercargill on 14 February 1926, Natusch was the daughter of Robert Henry "Roy" Traill, whose father had emigrated to New Zealand from Orkney, and Michigan-born Dorothea Ellen Traill (née Moseley).[1][2][3] Through her father, Natusch was the great-granddaughter of Eliza Wohlers and her husband, German missionary Johan Wohlers.[2][4] She grew up on Stewart Island, where her father was the wildlife ranger for 33 years, and received her secondary education at Southland Girls' High School.[1] She then studied at Dunedin Teachers' Training College where she met and befriended Janet Frame.[5] The two became lifelong friends; in fact Natusch was the first person to read Frame's manuscript for Owls Do Cry.[5] Later she studied at the University of Otago, graduating Bachelor of Arts in 1948 and Master of Arts with second-class honours in 1949.[1][6] In 1950, she married Gilbert Gardner Natusch, a hydro-engineer, and the couple lived in Wellington.[1][4]

Professional life

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Natusch wrote, illustrated or compiled over 77 books for adults and children.[7] In the 2007 New Year Honours, Natusch was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services as a writer and illustrator.[8]

A documentary about Natusch's life, No Ordinary Sheila, by her cousin New Zealand director Hugh Macdonald, featured in the 2017 New Zealand International Film Festival.[9]

Natusch died in Wellington on 10 August 2017.[10][11]

Legacy

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In 2017, Natusch was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words", celebrating women's contributions to knowledge in New Zealand.[12]

Lake Sheila on Stewart Island was named after Natusch by her father Roy Traill, a name he suggested after she had accompanied him on numerous expeditions around the Freshwater River area.[13]

Selected works

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  • Native plants : an introduction to the plant life of New Zealand by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, 1956
  • Native rock by Sheila Natusch. Wellington N.Z. : Reed, 1959/1967
  • Stewart Island by N.S. Seaward and Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, 1962
  • Animals of New Zealand by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, Whitcombe & Tombs, 1967
  • A bunch of wild orchids by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, 1968
  • Hell and high water : a German occupation of the Chatham Islands, 1843-1910 by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, c1977
  • An island called home by Sheila Natusch. Invercargill, N.Z. : Craig Printing Co., 1992 ISBN 9780908629381 Letters from Jean edited by Sheila Natusch. (by Janet Frame). Wellington N.Z. : Nestegg Books, 2004
  • So far so good : an autobiography by Sheila Natusch. Wellington, N.Z. : Nestegg, 2007

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Natusch, Sheila". The Community Archive. Archives New Zealand. 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b O'Brien, Brian. "Traill, Robert Henry". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Dorothea Ellen Moseley". Fergus(son) of Moulin. Don Ferguson. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b Tansley, Rebecca (September 2015). "Force of nature" (PDF). University of Otago Magazine. No. 41. pp. 10–13. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Life of naturalist and illustrator Sheila Natusch celebrated in new documentary - thisNZlife". thisnzlife.co.nz. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  6. ^ "NZ university graduates 1870–1961: T". Shadows of Time. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  7. ^ Smith, Rosemarie (19 February 2013). "Sheila Natusch: rising to the challenge". Southland Times. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  8. ^ "New Year honours list 2007". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 30 December 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  9. ^ "No Ordinary Sheila 2017". nziff.co.nz. New Zealand Film Festival Trust. 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  10. ^ "No Ordinary Sheila: famed NZ naturalist Sheila Natusch has died". Stuff.co.nz. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  11. ^ "In memory of Sheila Ellen Natusch". Tributes Online. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  12. ^ "Sheila Natusch". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Place name detail: Lake Sheila". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
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