Edmund James Banfield
Encyclopedia
Edmund James "Ted" Banfield (4 September 1852 – 2 June 1923) was an author
and naturalist
, best known for his book Confessions of a Beachcomber.
, England
the son of Jabez Walter Banfield (1820-1899), printer, and his wife Sarah Ann, née Smith. Banfield was brought while a boy to Australia
by his father, who settled at Ararat, Victoria
in 1852 and became proprietor of a newspaper, the Ararat Advertiser. Edmund Banfield received his first training in journalism on this paper.
and Sydney
in the 1870s, and in 1882 went to Townsville, Queensland
, where he became sub-editor of the Townsville Bulletin
. In 1884 he visited England, the voyage providing the material for a pamphlet, The Torres Strait Route from Queensland to England (1885).
While in England, Banfield met his future wife, they were married at Townsville in 1886. Banfield remained at the Townsville Bulletin until 1897 until he resigned, being diagnosed with tuberculosis
and in a state of nervous collapse. Banfield and his deaf wife then settled on Dunk Island off the North Queensland coast. With his health improving, he obtained a 30-year lease of 129 ha (320 acres) of land on Dunk Island on 4 January 1900 and lived 23 more years of a comparatively solitary life. A house was constructed, fruit-trees and vegetables were planted; goats and cattle provided them with milk, butter and occasionally meat, and there were abundant fish in the surrounding seas. Most importantly there were the immense possibilities of the nature study which made up so much of the charm of his books. For nine months in 1901, Banfield took the place of a former colleague at Townsville who was travelling abroad. Except for occasional short holidays on the mainland, he spent the rest of his days on the island. In 1907 he wrote a tourists' guide for the Queensland government, Within the Barrier, and in 1908 appeared his Confessions of a Beachcomber which immediately gave him a place of his own among Australian writers. This was followed by My Tropic Isle (1911), and Tropic Days (1918). His Last Leaves from Dunk Island was published posthumously in 1925.
The title of Banfield's first serious book,Confessions of a Beachcomber, was misleading; he was no mere collector of trifling tales. Its suggestion came from the breaking up of a wreck on the coast many miles away which resulted in much debris drifting to the island. He worked hard on his plantation, and in its early days he found that work on a tropic island had its own difficulties. Once these were overcome he could get enough leisure to study the vegetable, bird and sea life of the island, and, the Aborigines
before they were taken away and placed on a reservation. Visitors came and were made welcome by Banfield and his wife.
. His wife survived him, there were no children.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
, best known for his book Confessions of a Beachcomber.
Early life
Banfield was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
the son of Jabez Walter Banfield (1820-1899), printer, and his wife Sarah Ann, née Smith. Banfield was brought while a boy to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
by his father, who settled at Ararat, Victoria
Ararat, Victoria
Ararat is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera...
in 1852 and became proprietor of a newspaper, the Ararat Advertiser. Edmund Banfield received his first training in journalism on this paper.
Career
Banfield had experience with newspapers in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in the 1870s, and in 1882 went to Townsville, Queensland
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
, where he became sub-editor of the Townsville Bulletin
Townsville Bulletin
The Townsville Bulletin is a daily newspaper published in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is the only daily paper that serves the northern Queensland region. The paper has a print edition, a free World Wide Web edition, and a subscription digital edition.The newspaper is published by The...
. In 1884 he visited England, the voyage providing the material for a pamphlet, The Torres Strait Route from Queensland to England (1885).
While in England, Banfield met his future wife, they were married at Townsville in 1886. Banfield remained at the Townsville Bulletin until 1897 until he resigned, being diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and in a state of nervous collapse. Banfield and his deaf wife then settled on Dunk Island off the North Queensland coast. With his health improving, he obtained a 30-year lease of 129 ha (320 acres) of land on Dunk Island on 4 January 1900 and lived 23 more years of a comparatively solitary life. A house was constructed, fruit-trees and vegetables were planted; goats and cattle provided them with milk, butter and occasionally meat, and there were abundant fish in the surrounding seas. Most importantly there were the immense possibilities of the nature study which made up so much of the charm of his books. For nine months in 1901, Banfield took the place of a former colleague at Townsville who was travelling abroad. Except for occasional short holidays on the mainland, he spent the rest of his days on the island. In 1907 he wrote a tourists' guide for the Queensland government, Within the Barrier, and in 1908 appeared his Confessions of a Beachcomber which immediately gave him a place of his own among Australian writers. This was followed by My Tropic Isle (1911), and Tropic Days (1918). His Last Leaves from Dunk Island was published posthumously in 1925.
The title of Banfield's first serious book,Confessions of a Beachcomber, was misleading; he was no mere collector of trifling tales. Its suggestion came from the breaking up of a wreck on the coast many miles away which resulted in much debris drifting to the island. He worked hard on his plantation, and in its early days he found that work on a tropic island had its own difficulties. Once these were overcome he could get enough leisure to study the vegetable, bird and sea life of the island, and, the Aborigines
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
before they were taken away and placed on a reservation. Visitors came and were made welcome by Banfield and his wife.
Late life
Banfield described Dunk Island as his "Isle of Dreams—this unkempt, unrestrained garden where the centuries gaze upon perpetual summer". He became ill towards the end of May 1923 and died on 2 June 1923 of peritonitisPeritonitis
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...
. His wife survived him, there were no children.