On Our Selection [Paperback] Steele Rudd [Paperback] 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.

Steele Rudd was the pen name of Australian writer Arthur Hoey Davis (14 November 1868 - 11 October 1935), most famous for his collection of short stories On Our Selection. As part of the Q150 festivities in 2009, Rudd was recognized one of the Q150 Icons for his contributions to Queensland literature. Davis was born in Drayton, nearby Toowoomba, Queensland, the son of Thomas Davis (1828-1904), a blacksmith from Abernant in south Wales who arrived in Australia in 1847 as the result of a five-year petty theft belief, as well as Mary, née Green (1835-1893), an Irishwoman from Galway who was forced to emigrate due to the Fantastic Famine. In a family of 13, the boy was the eighth child and fifth son. Davis was schooled at the local school after his father took up a selection at Emu Creek. He dropped out of school before the age of 12 and worked odd jobs on a station until becoming a junior stockrider on a Darling Downs station at the age of 15.