Writer Brenda Walker, former chair of Stella Prize, killed in car accident

Brenda Walker came from a family of storytellers, including her brother, Don Walker, who wrote classics for Cold Chisel, and her mother, Shirley Walker, who wrote novels.

Australian author Brenda Walker has been killed in a car accident at Kings Park in Perth.

Professor Walker, 67, a former chair of the Stella Prize judging panel and an award-winning writer in her own right, was crossing Kings Park Road on Tuesday for a coffee run when she was hit by a speeding car.

She was taken to Royal Perth Hospital but could not be saved.

Professor Walker is the sister of Cold Chisel songwriter Don Walker, whose credits include Flame Trees and Khe Sanh.

Brenda Walker's mother Shirley Walker, who died in April at the age of 96, was also a writer.

She is the daughter of writer Shirley Patricia Walker, who died in April at the age of 96. Dr Walker’s memoir Roundabout at Bangalow (2003) covered her memories of World War II in Grafton, where Brenda was born, and her time as a cane farmer’s wife on the Burdekin River in Queensland.

Reading by Moonlight by Brenda Walker won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award in 2010

Professor Walker’s novels Reading By Moonlight and The Wing of the Night won many awards, including the Kibble Award and Asher Literary Award.

An earlier book, Poe’s Cat, was shortlisted for the 2006 Miles Franklin Award. She was also Professor emerita of English and cultural studies at the University of Western Australia.

Professor Walker was a judge of the 2014 Stella Prize, and chair of the 2016 and 2017 Stella Prize judging panels.

The driver of the car involved in the accident appeared in Perth Magistrates Court earlier today.

The court was told he was driving erratically and speeding. He will remain behind bars until next month.