Malcolm Afford

Malcolm "Max" Afford (Born in Adelaide 8 April 1906, died in Sydney 2 November 1954) was an Australian playwright and novelist.

Afford was born in Adelaide, South Australia, the youngest son of Robert D. Afford of "Glenleigh", Stamford street Parkside, an inner suburb. He left school when he was 16, and started writing novels and plays.

After winning the centenary competition in Adelaide, he moved to Sydney in 1936, on contract to the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) as a playwright and producer in the Federal Productions Department.

Max married Thelma Thomas on 16 April 1938 at St Michael's church, Vaucluse, Sydney. Thelma, a costume designer whom he met on the set of Colonel Founder / Awake my Love two years earlier, was originally from Broken Hill, then Adelaide, and had moved to Sydney to design the costumes for the New South Wales sesqui-centenary pageant. Max and Thelma did not have children.

Afford died of cancer on 2 November 1954 at Mosman, Sydney, and was cremated. Thelma Afford survived him until 1996.

Numerous condolence letters from his friends, colleagues and admirers were sent to his wife from around Australia and from overseas including the US, the UK and Hong Kong. Many are held in the Fryer Library at the University of Queensland and express sadness about his death, admiration for his literary achievement and regret for the great loss to the Australian literary world.

"Max was one of the sweetest, gayest and most endearing people I have ever encountered", Betty Roland wrote. Tom Inglis Moore said, "He was such an attractive person in himself, and he had outstanding gifts. As a writer he was at the top of the profession as a dramatic writer for radio, a first-class craftsman. His stage plays showed that if he had gone on, he would have become an important playwright. I felt that Max had the talent to have gone even further in achievement. He had such a vitality that it is very hard to realize the truth."

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