On Our Selection

by Steele Rudd

"On Our Selection," written by Steele Rudd (pseudonym for Arthur Hoey Davis), is a classic Australian literary piece that depicts country life in the late nineteenth century in a hilarious and tragic manner. Some stories are fascinating and fantastic, while others sneak up on you and draw you in. The story, which is set in the Australian bush, recounts the Rudd family's challenges and achievements while they try to make a living on their selection, piece of land handed their way by the government. Dad Rudd, a tenacious and resourceful figure, and the rest of his family endure the challenges of farming, unpredictable weather, and economic troubles.

151 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2023

About the author

Rudd was born Arthur Hoey Davis at Drayton, Queensland, and left school early, working on nearby stations before joining the public service in Brisbane. He married Violet Brodie in 1894 and they had four children. The Bulletin published his first sketch of life as a selector in 1895. More stories followed, and their popularity led the Bulletin to publish the collections On Our Selection (1899) and Our New Selection (1903), which were also successfully adapted for the stage. Rudd established Steele Rudd's Magazine in 1903, which continued (with name-changes, lapses and revivals) until 1927. Rudd was prolific, writing six plays and more than twenty books, including the well-received novel, Memoirs of Corporal Keeley (1918). His wife's institutionalisation in a mental hospital, the dissolution of their marriage, problems with alcohol and money, are all considered to have contributed to a decline in the quality of his later work.