Sheila Natusch
Sheila Ellen Natusch was a New Zealand writer and freelance illustrator. Many of her books cover natural history and the history of southern New Zealand, particularly Stewart Island.
Early life and family
Born Sheila Ellen Traill in Invercargill on 14 February 1926, Natusch was the daughter of Robert Henry "Roy" Traill, whose father had emigrated to New Zealand from Orkney, and Michigan-born Dorothea Ellen Traill. Through her father, Natusch was the great-granddaughter of Eliza Wohlers and her husband, German missionary Johan Wohlers. She grew up on Stewart Island, where her father was the wildlife ranger for 33 years, and received her secondary education at Southland Girls' High School. She then studied at Dunedin Teachers' Training College where she met and befriended Janet Frame. The two became lifelong friends; in fact Natusch was the first person to read Frame's manuscript for Owls Do Cry. Later she studied at the University of Otago, graduating Bachelor of Arts in 1948 and Master of Arts with second-class honours in 1949. In 1950, she married Gilbert Gardner Natusch, a hydro-engineer, and the couple lived in Wellington.Professional life
Natusch wrote, illustrated or compiled over 77 books for adults and children. In the 2007 New Year Honours, Natusch was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services as a writer and illustrator.A documentary about Natusch's life, No Ordinary Sheila, by her cousin New Zealand director Hugh Macdonald, featured in the 2017 New Zealand International Film Festival.
Natusch died in Wellington on 10 August 2017.
Legacy
In 2017, Natusch was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words", celebrating women's contributions to knowledge in New Zealand.Lake Sheila on Stewart Island was named after Natusch by her father Roy Traill, a name he suggested after she had accompanied him on numerous expeditions around the Freshwater River area.
Selected works
Native plants : an introduction to the plant life of New Zealand by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, 1956Native rock by Sheila Natusch. Wellington N.Z. : Reed, 1959/1967Stewart Island by N.S. Seaward and Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, 1962Animals of New Zealand by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, Whitcombe & Tombs, 1967A bunch of wild orchids by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, 1968Hell and high water '': a German occupation of the Chatham Islands, 1843-1910 by Sheila Natusch. Christchurch, N.Z. : Pegasus, c1977- An island called home by Sheila Natusch. Invercargill, N.Z. : Craig Printing Co., 1992