Lola Russell - City Kid

At the age of 94, the famous Australian actress Lola Russell published her very first book, entitled 'City Kid'. This autobiography not only captures the interesting adventures of the amazing Lola Russell, it also records the vast and rich history of Melbourne.

Creative Text Solutions was honoured to be the editing partner of this project. I edited the vast manuscript of over 401,000 words and walked with Lola through every step of the publishing process. My work on this project has been recognised by 'City Kid' being shortlisted for the inaugural Rosanne Fitzgibbon Award for the best edited manuscript in 2015-6.

In the introduction, Lola informs the reader:

'This is a story of Melbourne, and of growing up in it, of being fashioned into a person, of falling in love and making a career. Melbourne, as I knew it, when I was a tiny girl has almost disappeared. There are so many things that are now slowly slipping away, and before they leave my memory I would like to record them, and to ask you the reader to love them as I do'.

Lola Russell’s memoir aims to preserve the memories of the Melbourne she once knew. 'City Kid' educates readers on Melbourne’s history from the 1840s onwards. Using personal stories, Lola vividly creates a picture in the readers’ mind of how Melbourne has transformed from a quaint colonial capital to a fast-past cosmopolitan city dubbed as 'The Most Liveable City in the World'.

The autobiography is full of colourful narratives of Lola’s life growing up in a little cottage in the heart of Melbourne. Built 165 years ago, every aspect of this beautiful cottage and the memories it holds reminds readers of the incredible transformation Melbourne has undergone. The once charming little cottage is now a small restaurant surrounded by tall office buildings in the finance area of downtown Melbourne. 'City Kid' and this cottage preserve an essential part of Melbourne’s history.