Melanie Reanna Tregonning (15 April 1983 – 12 or 13 May 2014) was an Australian artist, best remembered as an author, cartoonist and illustrator.[1] Her graphic novel Small Things, published posthumously in 2016 by Allen & Unwin, was awarded the Gold Ledger in 2017.[2]
Mel Tregonning | |
|---|---|
| Born | Melanie Reanna Tregonning 15 April 1983 Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Died | 12 or 13 May 2014 (aged 31) Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Alma mater | Curtin University |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Notable work | Small Things |
| Relatives |
|
| Website | meltregonning |
Early life
editTregonning was born on 15 April 1983 in Perth, Western Australia. She is a descendant of the British-Australian army officer Donald R. C. Tregonning and of the historian K. G. Tregonning. Her second cousin three times removed was the tennis player Don Tregonning.[3][4]
Artistic career
editTregonning studied graphic design at Curtin University, graduating in 2004.[5] During her time at university, the Japanese-Australian anthology Xuan Xuan published a serialized version of Tregonning's Toy.[6] In 2009, Gestalt published Tregonning's graphic short story Night.[7][8]
Small Things
editFrom 2013, Tregonning worked on a wordless graphic novel dealing with the themes of anxiety and depression. She died before she could finish the novel. After her death, Shaun Tan helped to complete the graphic novel and Small Things was published by Allen & Unwin in 2016 to critical acclaim.[5] The Sydney Morning Herald included Small Things in its list of the best books for young readers in 2016 and The Guardian's columnist Lucy Mangan lauded the graphic novel as "stunning".[9][10] In 2017, the book was awarded the Gold Ledger in the Ledger Awards and, in 2019, the United States Board on Books for Young People recognized Small Things in its Outstanding International Books List.[2][11]
Notable works
editSerialized comics
edit- Toy (Xuan Xuan, 2003–2004)
Graphic novels and short stories
edit- Night (Gestalt, 2009)
- Small Things (Allen & Unwin, 2016)
Death
editSome time before her death, Tregonning came to believe that human intellectual development had plateaued and that the human species was unlikely to continue to make great advances in learning and innovation in the future.[12] This conviction caused her emotional distress, "mourning the loss of what humans will never become."[13] Following an episode of acute depression, Tregonning ended her life in May 2014.[14]
A coroner's inquest into Tregonning's death found that underfunding and "systemic failures" in the mental health system had contributed to her not being provided with adequate mental health care.[4][12] Immediately before her death, Tregonning had unsuccessfully sought help from different health professionals. The coroner conducting the inquest into Tregonning's death, Sarah Linton, issued a formal recommendation to the Minister for Health that a review of "the mental health service provided at public hospitals" be conducted.[15]
References
edit- ^ Clark, Lucy (September 23, 2016). "Shaun Tan completes graphic novel after author Mel Tregonning's suicide: 'Her absence made me try even harder'". The Guardian. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ a b "'Small Things' wins 2017 Gold Ledger Award | Books+Publishing". Books+Publishing. July 5, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
- ^ Linton, Sarah (May 24, 2019). "Inquest into the Death of Melanie Reanna Tregonning". Coroner's Court of Western Australia. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "Family say WA woman's death 'preventable'". SBS News. January 22, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Luisa (September 22, 2021). "The compassionate art and life of Mel Tregonning". Curtin Friends. Curtin University. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ Scholastic Teacher Notes: Small Things by Mel Tregonning (PDF). Scholastic. 2017.
- ^ "Vale Mel Tregonning". Gestalt Publishing. May 14, 2014. Archived from the original on June 17, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Tregonning, Mel (2016). Small Things. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781742379791.
- ^ Atkinson, Frances (December 12, 2016). "For younger eyes: Some of the best books of the year". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (March 30, 2020). "Kids at home? The books you should read to keep everyone entertained". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "USBBY 2019 Outstanding International Books List" (PDF). United States Board on Books for Young People. 2019.
- ^ a b Barry, Hannah (May 31, 2019). "Like the boy in her story, Perth artist Melanie had the 'worry monsters' before her death". WAtoday. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ Linton, Sarah (2019). Record of Investigation into Death: Melanie (Mel) Reanna Tregonning. Coroner's Court of Western Australia.
- ^ Menagh, Joanna (January 22, 2019). "Artist found dead just hours after leaving mental health clinic due to misunderstanding". ABC News. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ Clarke, Tim (May 31, 2019). "Inquest: Fiona Stanley Hospital needs better mental health unit". PerthNow. The West Australian. Retrieved December 28, 2023.