Herb Wharton, an Australian writer, died on May 12, 2026.
Herbert Morsley Wharton AM was born in Cunnamulla, Queensland, in 1936 and was an Indigenous Australian former stockman who began publishing poetry and yarn-like novels in his fifties. A Murri man, with a Kooma maternal grandmother and Irish grandfathers, he gained international recognition for his work.
His honours included the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature in 2012, the Queensland Greats Award in 2013 and appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Herb Wharton, 89–90, Australian writer. (death announced on this date)