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Australia Ethel Pedley

2013 One Dollar

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The Royal Australian Mint has issued this one dollar piece to celebrate Ethel Pedley and her iconic childrens book 'Dot and the Kangaroo'. The reverse was designed by A. Baggio and features a portrait of Pedley along and her characters Dot and the Kangaroo. The legend states "ETHEL C. PEDLEY DOT and the KANGAROO" with the denomination "ONE DOLLAR". The obverse houses the standard Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth with the legend "ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA" and the year of issue. The piece is one of a number of 'Baby Sets' which have focused on iconic Australian children's book authors such as Dorothy Wall (Blinky Bill) and Norman Lindsay (Magic Pudding).

Born in England in 1859 Ethel Pedley migrated to Australia with her family to Sydney in around 1873. Classically trained in piano, violin, and singing, excelled as a musician and was appointed as the Board of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music's only representative in New South Wales. Strongly influenced by the works of Lewis Carroll and her experiences in the Australian bush Pedley wrote the children's book Dot and the Kangaroo. The story revolved around a young girl who chases a hare into the bush and becomes lost. She is provided with some berries by a Kangaroo which gives her the ability to understand animals. Pedley passed away in 1898 and the book was published posthumously. It became an Australian children's classic and has since been developed into a successful animated film.