Archives and Special Collections: Colin Thiele

Location: Colin Thiele Library - Magill campus

Access: Available to UniSA staff and students by appointment only, for 4 hour in-Library use

Community access: contact Ask the Library

Search: All items are available through the Library Catalogue and can be identified by the prefix CTC

The Colin Thiele Research Collection includes most of Colin Thiele's written works as well as audiovisual recordings, interviews, book reviews and realia, including an assortment of pelicans.

Colin Thiele AC was born in 1920 in Eudunda, South Australia. Thiele graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1941 and completed a course at Adelaide Teachers College in 1942. After serving with the RAAF between 1942 and 1945, Thiele completed a Diploma of Education. He went on to teach English at Port Lincoln between 1946 and 1955.

Thiele became a lecturer at the Wattle Park Teachers' College in 1957 and became the Principal in 1965. In 1974 he became the Director of the renamed Wattle Park Teachers Centre, until he retired in 1980. Throughout his teaching career Thiele wrote for children and became one of Australia's most popular authors for children. Thiele also wrote poetry and educational material for teachers, in the areas of English, Drama and Australian History.

Thiele was the recipient of numerous awards for his work. In 1977 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in recognition of his services to education and literature.

Thiele continued to write after his retirement and close to his death in 2006 at the age of 85.

The Colin Thiele Library at the Magill campus of the University of South Australia was named in honour of Thiele.

National Library of Australia

Search TROVE

State Library of South Australia

Search the catalogue

State Records of South Australia

Search the archives

Eudunda Community, Business and Tourism Committee

Colin Thiele Home Page

Eudunda Heritage Gallery - holds Colin Thiele's family history collection

Wikipedia

Colin Thiele