Patrick White's House

20 Martin Road, Centennial Park, Sydney, was Patrick White's home for the last 26 years of his life, until his death in 1990. It is now in private hands and is coming up for sale in the near future. Now a number of prominent Sydney-siders (including author Tom Keneally, actor Kate Fitzpatrick, activist Jack Mundey, and National Trust president Barry O'Keefe) have started a campaign to raise money to purchase the property in order to preserve it as a centre for Australian literary studies. The group has been canvassing both the NSW State Labor government and Federal conservative coalition to pitch in to help raise the $A4million asking price. The group intends also starting a fund to accept monies from the public to reaching the target. Patrick White is Australia's only Nobel Laureate, receiving the award in 1973, and, given the paucity of preserved literature-related sites in this country, I believe this is an excellent opportunity to utilise something of significance before it's turned into a high-rise apartment block. The difficulty would appear to be, according to Tom Keneally, that White was a grumpy old bugger who did not endear himself to politicians or "barbarians" of any persuasion. But the world needs more grumpy old buggers and I hope this campaign succeeds.