Historical information

Wilfred Clarence Busse was born in Chiltern, Victoria in 1898. His family moved to the region during the gold rush and continued to resided in the area, purchasing land adjacent the Murray River.

Busse completed his secondary education at Wesley College in Melbourne then studied law at the University of Melbourne. Busse went on to become a barrister, often in the chambers of Sir Leo Finn Bernard Cussen (1859-1933) a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Busse was also an avid fictional writer and in 1930 he published two novels "The Blue Beyond; A Romance of the Early Days in South Eastern Australia” and "The Golden Plague: A Romance of the Early Fifties."

"The Golden Plague” won the T. E. Role gold medal for the best historical novel which went on to become a best seller.

Busse often drew inspiration for his novels from his younger years living Chiltern. His passion for the region lead him to write “The History of Chiltern” which was published in a serial form in the Chiltern Federal Standard from 1922-1923.

Wilfred Clarence Busse was a member of Chiltern Athenaeum upon his death in 1960

Significance

This photograph is of considerable importance to Chiltern Athenaeum as it was written by Wilfred Clarence Busse, a barrister and author born in Chiltern. Busse drew inspiration to write novels from his life growing up in Chiltern which is apparent in "The Golden Plague: A Romance of the Early Fifties."

Physical description

Sepia rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper mounted on board placed within a silver frame.