Dr Antonio Buti, a Senior Law Lecturer at The University of Western Australia, has won the non-fiction category of the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards for his biography of Sir Ronald Wilson. 

Culture and Arts Minister John Day today announced the seven category winners at a ceremony at the State Library of Western Australia.

Dr Buti spent many years consulting with Sir Ronald Wilson, who died in 2005, to write the definitive Sir Ronald Wilson: a Matter of Conscience, a portrait of a complex public figure in law, church, and the judiciary.

Dr Buti said he was honoured to win the award and felt privileged to have known Sir Ronald and to be his biographer.

"While I found the research and writing of the biography stimulating, it was also most challenging due to the array of Sir Ronald's activities and achievements and the complexities of his personality," he said.

The book, published by UWA Press, is now in the running to become the overall winner of the Premier's Book Awards to be announced on November 21.

UWA Press Director and Publisher, Associate Professor Terri-ann White said she was thrilled that the biography was selected by the judges to win the non-fiction category.

Media references

Associate Professor Terri-ann White  (+61 8)  6488 1343  /  (+61 4) 05 390 805
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716