Jill B. Bruce
Jill B. Bruce has written 45 published books, 2 video scripts, 4 sections of an Education Department Librarian Training Manual and ephemera. Her latest books are Farmanimals, Explorers of Inland Australia, and Convicts from the First Fleet to the end of Transportation. In 2011 Jill wrote, (pro bono), two books Kangaroo and Yak, for the Tibetan community that will be published in Tibetan and English for use by children here and overseas.
Jill won the Whitley Award in 1994, given by the Royal Zoological Society, for best children's book for Austranimals. She also was runner-up in 1994 for the Wilderness Society's environment award for children's literature for Who Did That?, and runner-up for the same award in 2001 for Where Have all The Flowers Gone?
Jill left school at 14 ½ to help her single mother support her 4 younger siblings. In 1977, aged 33, she studied for the HSC at Seaforth Technical College. She came in the top 5% of the state and in 1978 was accepted into Macquarie University as a full-time student. At that time she had 3 sons, 6, 9 and 11 years of age. Jill graduated in 1982 with a Batchelor of Arts in Social Science and a Diploma of Education in Secondary Librarianship. She was appointed as teacher Librarian at Beacon Hill Public School in 1983. She retired from Beacon Hill in 2009 after 27 years. In 2009 and 2010 Jill was appointed an Australia Day Ambassador.
In 2011 Jill was appointed as the NSW judge for the Children’s Book Council of Australia awards for 2012 and 2013.