Elizabeth Wood-Ellem
Dr Elizabeth Wood-Ellem (10 September 1930 – 8 September 2012) was a Tongan-born Australian historian actively engaged in the life of Tonga[1] and author of the definitive biography of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga.[2]
Birth and family
Born Elizabeth Olive Wood near Nuku'alofa, Tonga, she was often known as Bess or Pesi Wood. She was a daughter of Reverend Dr
Education
Moving to Australia in 1937, Elizabeth was educated at Methodist Ladies' College in Melbourne where, in her final year, she topped the state of Victoria in Greek and Roman History.
At
Career
Wood-Ellem earned her living as a book editor and indexer, initially at Angus & Robertson in Sydney, then London (1960–72) with Macmillan and Paul Hamlyn, and later worked freelance.
She was appointed an archivist at
She completed a PhD in Tongan history in 1982 at the University of Melbourne and remained a Senior Fellow there at the time of her death. She published her biography of Queen Sālote of Tonga in 1999. Fairfax’s Pacific correspondent Mike Field said of it:
‘If I were nominate a single, superb book on the Pacific, Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900-1965 is one of the finest pieces of historical research and insight, anthropology and understanding of Tonga that you’ll ever find. You don’t even have to be vaguely interested in Queen Sālote, but in how Tonga works.’
Notable books she edited include The Songs and Poems of Queen Sālote (2004) and Tonga and the Tongans: Heritage and Identity (2007).
In 2008,
Publications
- Wood-Ellem, Elizabeth (1999). Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era, 1900–1965. Auckland, N.Z.: Auckland University Press.
Notable books she edited include:
- The Songs and Poems of Queen Sālote (2004)
- Tonga and the Tongans: Heritage and Identity (2007)
Honours
- National honours
- Order of the Crown of Tonga, Commander (31 July 2008).[4]
References
- ^ Tongan royal historian Dr Elizabeth Wood-Ellem dies, (11 September 2012, 17:29 AEST), Radio Australia
- ^ Wood, H. D'Arcy; Ball, Olivia (5 October 2012). "Historian lauded for book on Pacific". The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
- ISSN 1035-8811
- ^ "Royal orders presented at Palace". Matangi Tonga. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.