Albert Facey
Albert Facey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Albert Barnett Facey 31 August 1894 |
| Died | 11 February 1982 (aged 87) |
| Other names | A.B. Facey, Bert Facey |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Years active | 1902-1958 |
| Known for | A Fortunate Life |
| Spouse | Evelyn Mary Gibson (m. 1916; died 1976) |
| Children | 7 |
Albert Barnett Facey (31 August 1894 – 11 February 1982), publishing as A. B. Facey, was an Australian writer and World War I veteran, whose main work was his autobiography, A Fortunate Life, now considered a classic of Australian literature. As of 2020, it has sold over one million copies and was the subject of a television mini-series.[1]
Early life
[edit]Facey was born in Maidstone, Victoria, the son of Joseph Facey and Mary Ann Facey, née Carr. In 1896, when Albert was two years old, his father died of typhoid fever on the Kalgoorlie goldfields in Western Australia. In 1898, Albert's mother left for Western Australia to care for her older children, who had accompanied their father to the goldfields, leaving her younger children, including Albert, in the care of their grandmother. His grandfather died in 1898 and, a year later, the grandmother, Jane Carr (née Barnett), moved from Barkers Creek near Castlemaine, Victoria, to Kalgoorlie, with Albert and his siblings, Roy (born 1890), Eric (born 1889) and Myra (born 1892). Facey began his working life around 1902, aged eight, and hardly ever lived with his family again. He was never able to attend school, but managed to teach himself to read and write when he was in his teens.
On his first job as a farm boy, his employer subjected Facey to virtual slavery and violent beatings with a horse whip. After sustaining months of such abuse, Albert escaped by walking over 20 kilometres (12 mi) through the bush, luckily finding the camp of some new settlers. Although the police were informed of the abuse, his employer was never prosecuted. The scars on his back and neck from the injuries Facey had sustained remained evident for the rest of his life.
In 1908, Facey's mother remarried and, at her request, he moved to Subiaco, a suburb of Perth, to live with her and her second husband, a plumber named Arthur "Bill" Downie. However, he only stayed a short time before accepting work back in rural Western Australia. Thereafter, Facey and his mother saw each other sporadically until she died suddenly in September 1914, aged 51.[2] His childhood in Western Australia was spent in areas such as Kalgoorlie, Narrogin, Bruce Rock, Merredin, Yealering, Wickepin, Pingelly, and at Cave Rock, near Popanyinning, which he writes about in Chapter 2 of A Fortunate Life.
By the age of 14, he was an experienced farm labourer and bushman and, at 20, he became a professional boxer with a troupe that toured South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. His boxing career continued until he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in January 1915.
War service
[edit]Facey joined the AIF on 4 January 1915, not long after the outbreak of World War I. He travelled to Egypt as an infantryman with the 11th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement, aboard the troopship HMAT Itonus[3] and fought during the Gallipoli Campaign, including the battle of Leane's Trench. Much of his autobiography relates to the horror he endured during his wartime service and his vivid recollections of the plight of the ANZAC diggers at Gallipoli. Two of his older brothers, Roy Barker Facey (1890–1915)[4] and Joseph Thomas Facey (1883–1915)[5] were killed during the campaign.
In his book, Facey tells of being wounded on more than one occasion at Gallipoli. On 19 August 1915 – although Facey "was uncertain about dates"[6] – that culminated in a shell exploding near him, from which he received severe internal injuries and wounds to his leg. However, his war records show no evidence of being wounded, only of heart trouble.[7] The records make no mention of any ordnance exploding near any 11th Battalion troops on (or about) 19 August.[8] After a week in reserve, the 11th Battalion was redistributed between the 9th and 10th Battalions at Anzac on 18 August.
Facey was invalided back to Australia on the ship HMAT Aeneas, which left Port Suez on 31 October 1915.[7][9][10]
Family life and career
[edit]Marriage
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After being returned to Australia, Facey met Evelyn Mary Gibson (1897–1976), whom he married at Bunbury on 24 August 1916. They were happily married for nearly 60 years before Evelyn died on 3 August 1976. He mourned her for the rest of his life. The couple had seven children, born between 1919 and 1939.
After he returned from the war, Facey worked as a tram driver (1916–1922). He became an active campaigner for improved conditions for Australian returned servicemen. The family lived at Victoria Park, before returning with their children to farm at Wickepin, from 1922 to 1934. After his time at Wickepin, Facey returned to Perth and worked as a trolleybus driver (1934–1946). He spent the rest of his working life as a successful, self-employed poultry and pig farmer and businessman (1947–1958) in areas such as Tuart Hill, Wanneroo, Gosnells and Mount Helena near Mundaring.
Facey was active in public life and was well-known in his community from the 1920s until he retired in the late 1950s. He was president of the Perth Tramways Union for five years and later an elected member of local government and the Perth Roads Board for over 20 years, and a justice of the peace.
Loss of son
[edit]Facey's eldest son, also named Albert Barnett Facey, but known as Barney, 1919–1942, joined the Second AIF during the Second World War and served with the 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion. On 15 March 1942, he died in a bombing raid during the Battle of Singapore against the Japanese Army. While his family were aware that he was missing in action, his death was not confirmed until May 1945.[11] Facey stated in his memoirs that, although he and his wife had assumed their son had been killed, they had not given up hope. After that wait of over three years, his wife's health deteriorated to such an extent that she suffered a major stroke. Two other sons, Joseph and George, also served in the Australian Army in World War II, both seeing action in New Guinea. They returned home safely at the end of 1945.
Later health
[edit]Facey attributed his later health problems to war injuries received at Gallipoli, including old bullet wounds and a ruptured spleen, even though his war records contain no evidence of his being injured during his war service. He arrived at Gallipoli on 7 May 1915, after which the only problem with his health was "heart trouble" (tachycardia), diagnosed at Gallipoli on 19 August, which was the reason for his repatriation to Australia in October 1915. He did not re-enlist.[9]
Facey suffered a major heart attack in 1958 (aged 64), and retired.
Memoirs and fame
[edit]Facey began making notes on his life and, at the urging of his wife and children, eventually had the notes compiled into a book. He completed his memoirs in 1977, on his 83rd birthday. Two years later, at 85, he learnt that his autobiography, A Fortunate Life, had been approved for publication. It was published in 1981, just nine months before his death.
Although Facey was delighted that his life story was appreciated on such a grand scale, his health was rapidly declining and he was losing his eyesight. He also needed a wheelchair due to a broken hip. His book became a best-seller, and won New South Wales Premier's Literary Award for non-fiction, as well as the National Book Council Prize. During the final six months of his life, Facey became a national celebrity and was nominated for the Australian of the Year award in 1981.[12]
Death
[edit]While in an aged care facility at Midland due to his broken hip, Facey died of natural causes on 11 February 1982, aged 87, and his body was buried at the local Midland Cemetery. He was survived by six of his seven children and 28 grandchildren.[6]
Television adaptation
[edit]
His novel A Fortunate Life was made into a four-part television film in 1985, based on Facey's life between 1897 and 1916. The cast included Bill Hunter, Val Lehman and Ray Meagher.
Legacy
[edit]Facey's homestead in Wickepin has been turned into a tourist attraction. A government building, Albert Facey House, on Forrest Place in Perth, was named in his honour. It houses the Public Utilities Office of the Department of Finance, as well as other agencies. His name is also borne by the Albert Facey Memorial Library in Mundaring, Facey Road in Gnangara, Albert Facey Street in Maidstone, and a motel in Narrogin. Barney Street in Glendalough is named after his late son. The manuscripts of A Fortunate Life are housed in the Special Collections of the University of Western Australia Library.
References
[edit]- ^ "A Fortunate Life, written by A.B. Facey". Fremantle Press. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Funeral Notices, Downie". The West Australian. Vol. 30, no. 3870. Perth. 7 September 1914. p. 1. Retrieved 10 November 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ "Albert Burnet Facey". The AIF Project. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Family Notices". The West Australian. Perth. 5 August 1915. p. 1. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Family Notices". The West Australian (2nd ed.). Perth. 21 October 1915. p. 1. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ a b Hirst, J. B. (2007). "Facey, Albert Barnett (Bert) (1894–1982)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 17 (Online ed.). Melbourne: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019.
Critics have suggested that the book had been heavily edited, but surviving manuscripts of his several versions refute this contention. The final version reveals considerable artifice. He was uncertain about dates and the book contains some factual errors.
- ^ a b "Albert Barnet Facey". Discovering Anzacs. National Archives of Australia and Archives New Zealand. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "11th Infantry Battalion". The Australian War Memorial. Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914–18 War. AWM4 (23/28/5). August 1915. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Facey Albert Barnet (Barnett), SERN 1536, POB Footscray VIC, POE Blackboy Hill WA, NOK Arthur Thomas Downie". National Archives of Australia. 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ "HMAT A60 Aeneas". BirtwistleWiki. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ "Family Notices". The West Australian. Perth. 30 May 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 9 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Bush Legends: Family opens up on remarkable life of WA World War I digger and literary giant Albert Facey". The West Australian. Seven West Media. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
Further reading
[edit]
- about-australia.com.au, 2010, Albert Facey Homestead
- Facey, A. B. (1988) A Fortunate Life, Ringwood Vic., Penguin. ISBN 0-14-010869-6. (Previously published in 1981 by Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle, W.A.)
- Findlay, Len. "A Son's Fortunate life with no regrets" The West Australian 11 June 2007 p. 71
- Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria (1997), Federation index. Victoria 1889–1901, Melbourne, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
A Fortunate Life
.jpg) | |
| Author | Albert Facey |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Robert Juniper |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Autobiographical, Drama |
| Published | 1981 (Puffin, Hardcover Viking, Penguin Books Australia, Ltd.) |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | 0670807060 |
A Fortunate Life is an autobiography by Albert Facey published in 1981, nine months before his death. It chronicles his early life in Western Australia, his experiences as a private during the Gallipoli campaign of World War I and his return to civilian life after the war. It also documents his extraordinary life of hardship, loss, friendship and love.
During the initial days of its publication, Albert Facey became a nationwide celebrity. Notwithstanding the interest in it, Facey considered his life to be simple and "had no idea what all the fuss was about".[citation needed] When asked in an interview, where the name of the book originated, he replied, "I called it 'A Fortunate Life' because I truly believe that is what I had".[citation needed]
It has become a classic piece of Australian literature and is one of Australia's most beloved books. As of 2020 it has, since its publication in 1981,[1] sold over one million copies, becoming a primary account of the Australian experience during World War I. It is also featured in many Australian primary and secondary schools as a recommended book for young adults.
Overview
[edit]Plot summary
[edit]The autobiography begins at his birth. Albert Barnett Facey was born in Maidstone, Victoria, Australia, in 1894, the youngest of seven children. His father died in 1896 of typhoid fever after moving to the Goldfields of Western Australia with Bert's two eldest brothers. In 1898, Bert's Grandpa became ill and died in October that year. Bert's mother then left the rest of her children to be looked after by their grandmother Mrs Jane Carr (born 1832 – died 1932), to go to the Goldfields, but met and married another man and had nothing further to do with Bert's upbringing. In 1899 Bert moved from Victoria to the Goldfields in the care of his grandmother, together with three of his six older siblings: Roy, Eric and Myra.
Most of his childhood was spent in the Wickepin area, some 200 kilometres (120 mi) south east of Perth. His aunt and her husband had been granted an agricultural lease there, so the children moved with them and Mrs Carr to start a farm. At the age of eight, although two older brothers remained, when a neighbouring farmer offered a wage and all found,[clarification needed] Bert was put into service. His new employer, a horse thief, was given to violent drunken rages, but after being given a severe horsewhipping, Bert managed to escape. Work on subsequent farms were much better experiences and Bert's appreciation of life in the bush grew.
Bert had not lost touch with his uncle's farm, his grandmother and siblings. At the age of 14, when Roy and Eric resolved to go to live with their mother, who was by then in Perth, he took the decision to leave the very companionable family set-up he had found himself working for and go to live with her. He had had no contact with her for 12 years and it soon became clear that although his mother was pleased to see them all, she was more interested in the money they could provide. Bert left and took up work as a cattle drover. Over a period of six months he worked in a team moving cattle from the Ashburton river over 970 kilometres (600 miles) to market in Geraldton. During a furious storm he became separated from the other drovers and lost his way. He almost died of hunger and exposure before being found a week later by Aboriginal peoples, who took care of him and lead him back to the drovers. Later he worked with the water board, clearing bores, digging channels and building water reservoirs and dams on wheat belt properties, even surviving the perilous collapse of a deep water bore his team was clearing. At the age of eighteen he began as a railway line navvy. Bert had developed an interest in boxing while in Perth, which was put to use dealing with the vindictive line construction overseer.
Throughout his childhood and teenage years, there had been no possibility of formal education, but Bert taught himself to read and write. Looking for work in the pre-war years, he realised that he was not comfortable with paperwork, offices and cities, far preferring life in the bush. He had become an accomplished horseman, bushman, and at 18 was a professional boxer.
In August 1915, during the Gallipoli campaign of the First World War, Joseph and Roy, two of his brothers, were killed, and Bert was badly wounded. He suffered severe problems, which the medics were unable to either explain or treat. Whilst recuperating, he met his future wife Evelyn Mary Gibson. The medics had given him two years to live, but they resolved to enjoy every day together and were married in Bunbury in August 1916.
The Faceys lived in East Perth before returning to Wickepin six years later with their children, where they lived until 1934. His wife died in 1976, shortly before what would have been their sixtieth wedding anniversary. The couple had seven children – the eldest, Barney, was killed during the Second World War – and twenty-eight grandchildren.
Origins and publishing history
[edit]Facey had been making notes on his life since an early age, and had been entertaining family and friends for decades with his stories which, over the years, became more and more polished (at times at the cost of historical accuracy[2]). At the urging of his wife, he eventually wrote them up into a full manuscript, by hand, in a series of exercise books, working at the kitchen table. He then had the manuscript typed up and sent it to Fremantle Arts Centre Press, requesting that twenty copies be printed and bound for family members and friends. Facey's story was so remarkable, however, that it was immediately accepted for commercial publication. It appeared just nine months before his death on 11 February 1982, in his 88th year.
Achievements
[edit]Awards and honours
[edit]Albert Facey and A Fortunate Life have been the recipients of a host of award nominations since the initial publication of the book but have only won two major book awards. It won the 1981 Banjo Award for Australian Literature and then the 1981 New South Wales Literacy Award.
In 2004 the book was named as Australia's 10th most popular on the ABC's My Favourite Book list.[3]
Publishing details
[edit]- Albert Facey (1981). A Fortunate Life. Fremantle: Fremantle Press. ISBN 0-7139-1610-9. Wikidata Q4656846.
Other media
[edit]Mini series
[edit]| A Fortunate Life | |
|---|---|
| Based on | A Fortunate Life by Albert Facey |
| Written by | Ken Kelso |
| Directed by | Henri Safran Marcus Cole |
| Starring | Dominic Sweeney Benedict Sweeney Anthony Richards Nikki Coghill Dorothy Alison Val Lehman Bill Hunter Ray Meagher Marcus Graham |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 4 x 92 minutes |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Ian Bradley |
| Producer | Bill Hughes |
| Budget | $6.3 million[4] |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nine Network |
| Release | 12 March 1986 |
A Fortunate Life was a mini series based on the novel, which screened in 1986 on the Nine Network. It was narrated by Bill Kerr and featured many well known Australian actors. It starred a cast of young actors who started their careers in this series: Scott Bartle (plays Bert aged 5), Antony Richards (Bert aged 9), Benedict Sweeney (Bert aged 14) and Donovan Curyer Oshlack (plays Roy aged 14–16). It was filmed in Mount Tom Price, Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury, Mullewa, Fremantle and Victoria Park.[4]
The mini-series was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in March 2008 and is compatible with all region codes.[5] As of May 2020 it was available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Australia.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ Albert Facey (1981). A Fortunate Life. Fremantle: Fremantle Press. ISBN 0-7139-1610-9. Wikidata Q4656846.
- ^ Hirst, J. B. (2007). "Facey, Albert Barnett (Bert) (1894–1982)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 17 (Online ed.). Melbourne: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019.
Critics have suggested that the book had been heavily edited, but surviving manuscripts of his several versions refute this contention. The final version reveals considerable artifice. He was uncertain about dates and the book contains some factual errors.
- ^ "My Favourite Book — The Top Ten". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2004. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ a b Murray, Scott (1996). Australia on the Small Screen, 1970-1995: The Complete Guide to Tele-Features and Mini-Series. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 196. ISBN 0195539494.
- ^ "A Fortunate Life". Umbrella Entertainment. 2013. Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
External links
[edit]- Journal of the Australian War Memorial (Issue 33 - 2000) - References A fortunate life.
- A Fortunate Life (mini series) at Australian Screen Online
- Extract from A Fortunate Life Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine at Penguin Books Australia
Categories: Australian autobiographies
1988 non-fiction books
Western Australian literature
1980s Australian television miniseries
1986 Australian television series debuts
1986 Australian television series endings
1986 television films
1986 films
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