Beloved author Marion Halligan leaves indelible imprint

She was born in Newcastle in 1940 to Arthur James Crothall and Mildred Cogan, and grew up there, becoming the first person in her family, at the age of 16, to go to university. At the University of Newcastle, she completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons), majoring in English, followed by a Diploma of Education. During her studies, her university mentors, Harri Jones and Douglas Muecke, identified her as a potential literary star. This was affirmed when she was awarded a Master of Arts (MA) scholarship at the Australian National University (ANU) to begin in 1962.

Marion decided not to complete her MA but, instead, commenced teaching in Canberra. In 1963 she married Graham Halligan, an academic in the French department at the ANU, with whom she went on to have two children: Lucy (1966) and James (1969).

In those early years of family life, Marion taught English at Canberra High, and later, at Canberra Girls Grammar, where she was loved and highly respected. A hiatus in her teaching career occurred when her two children were born, (as was the dictate of the times), but she returned to teaching and continued working in the profession for many years. She also made several international trips with her husband and family. As an academic, Graham was entitled to take sabbatical leave and they lived, for a time, in England and France, and visited places all over Europe.

Marion loved this period of her life and remembered it in great detail. Her love of France, in particular, shaped her writing and infiltrated her daily life, evident in her passion for good food and wine. She had an aesthetic eye when it came to fashion; nobody ever wore a scarf with as much grace and flair as Marion. Often, if you were visiting her home in Hackett in the late afternoon, she would encourage you to join her for a glass of wine, or "un verre", as she would call it with a cheeky glint in her eye.

Before her first short story was published in 1969, Marion's stories were rejected by the Australian Women's Weekly because there was "too much unease in them". Some writers might change their approach due to this kind of feedback, but Marion quite liked this description of her work, and saw it as something she could use.

During her life, she produced an impressive number of high-quality literary works. She authored of 23 books, including 11 novels, as well as non-fiction, memoir, short stories and essays. She also wrote book reviews and criticism for The Canberra Times and other newspapers, and in 2013 she was awarded the Pascall Prize for literary criticism.

From 1980, for some years, she was part of a group of Canberra women writers, known as the 'Canberra Seven' or 'Seven Writers' - arguably among the biggest names in Canberra literature at the time.

As a novelist and essayist, Marion was precise and talented, and was well-known for her discussions with editors over the placement of commas in her work. She used elements of her own life in her novels, although she strongly denied this. Her family and friends, however, are certain they could recognise themselves in some of her stories.

Marion had an eye and memory for detail, and this shone through, not only in her writing, but also in conversation when she told stories. And with Marion, everything was a story.

Over the years, she received numerous awards for her work, including The Age Book of the Year and ACT Book of the Year (three times each), the Commonwealth Writers Prize, and the Nita Kibble Award. She was shortlisted for the prestigious Miles Franklin award. And in 2023, towards the end of her writing career, her book Words for Lucy, was highly commended in the ACT Book of the Year award.

Marion remained humble, kind and approachable, and always had time to mentor and encourage other authors. She also generously contributed her wisdom and expertise to the literary world in other ways. She served as member and chair of the literature board of the Australia Council in the 1990s, and was involved in the ACT Writers' Centre (now MARION) from its early days, and was patron up to the end of her life. Indeed, the new name for the writers' centre - MARION - was selected in 2022 as a nod to her contribution to Canberra life and literature, alongside Marion Mahony Griffin - another brilliant and influential woman.

Fittingly, in 2006, Marion was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) "for service to literature as an author, to the promotion of Australian writers and to support for literary events and professional organisations".

Sadly, Marion experienced a lot of grief in her life. Over the years, she lost her husband Graham to cancer (1998), her daughter, Lucy (2004), to heart disease, her two sisters (Rosanne, 2012, and Brenda, 2014), and, her son James in 2022, also to cancer. Even so, Marion enjoyed much happiness in her life, and this was her focus when she engaged with people.

Subsequent to Graham's death, she met her partner of over 20 years, poet John Stokes, who sent her fan mail after reading The Fog Garden which was about her husband, Graham's, death. They had a long and happy relationship, sharing a passion for words, poetry and literature.

Marion had a close and deep relationship with her sisters, especially Rosanne, who was a sensitive editor and helped to refine Marion's work; Marion often spoke about how much she enjoyed and appreciated Rosie's input.

Despite suffering so much loss and grief, Marion maintained a high level of acceptance and positivity towards life, and was always keen for visits and a chat. Her family was the shining light of her existence. She adored her grandchildren, Bianca and Edgar, and was keen to tell stories about them. She also loved her two daughters-in-law, Jenny and Julee, and was especially touched by, and grateful for, Jenny's devoted care over the last difficult year.

In recent years, her health declined, especially after the loss of her son, James. But she was cradled by the loving support of her family to the end, especially Jenny, and close family and long-term friends, including Nancy.

Apart from her contributions to literature and society, Marion will be remembered for her empathy, wit, cheeky sense of humour, and her graceful non-judgemental acceptance of people and life.

She died, surrounded by family, on February 19, 2024, aged 83.