Vivienne Rae-Ellis

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Vivienne Rae-Ellis (1930–2015) was an Australian writer who also used the pen name Antonia Bell. She wrote biographies, historical fiction, romance, children’s books and non-fiction, and was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Early life
Rae-Ellis was born on 23 July 0, 1930, in Wynyard, Tasmania, Australia, the only daughter in her family. Her family later moved to Hobart, where she attended Ogilvy High School, played the violin and joined the school basketball team. After leaving school, she worked as a secretary and then joined the administrative staff at the University of Tasmania’s School of Physics. In 1952 she married William Frank Ellis and the couple had two children before divorcing in 1978.

Career beginnings and writing
From the 1950s Rae-Ellis built a varied career as a newspaper columnist, radio scriptwriter, broadcaster, TV host and public relations officer. She also acted with the Launceston Players. In 1954 she reportedly stood in for Queen Elizabeth II during rehearsals for the Royal Tour of Tasmania. She began writing biographies and novels in the 1960s. Her interest in Louisa Anne Meredith inspired the biography Louisa Anne Meredith: A Tigress in Exile (1979), and Rae-Ellis published several other books across different genres. She also wrote articles and broadcasts for newspapers and journals in the UK and Australia.

Move to the United Kingdom and later life
In 1982 Rae-Ellis moved from Australia to the United Kingdom, living at Layer Marney Tower in Essex and later in Bath, Somerset. She supported urban conservation efforts in England and researched The Circus in Bath, a famous Georgian street, during 1760–1780. She died in Bath on 29 March 2015, having taken her own life after developing a terminal illness.

Published works (selection)
- Non-fiction: Lively Libraries (1975); True Ghost Stories of Our Own Time (1990)
- Historical fiction: Queen Trucanini (1976; with Nancy Cato)
- Children’s fiction: Menace at Oyster Bay (1976); The Tribe With No Feet (1978)
- Biography: Trucanini: Queen or Traitor? (1976); Louisa Anne Meredith: A Tigress in Exile (1979); Black Robinson, Protector of Aborigines (1988)
- Romance fiction: The Cavendish Affair (1980; as Antonia Bell)

Rae-Ellis was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Society of Authors.