b'A will of literary meritThe writing of a novel and the drafting of a legal documentprose of his novels, Shute was unimpressed with therequire distinct skill sets, something the family of bestsellingformal language used by partner Jack Richards and, refusing author Nevil Shute learnt the hard way after the authorto put his pen to the legal jargon, drafted his own will.insisted on drafting his own will.Shute was stunned when his version received a poor Born Nevil Shute Norway in London in 1899, as a youngreception. Despite heated debate, Richards could only boy Shute developed a love of aeroplanes and writing.convince Shute to add three words to a critical passage By twenty-f our he was working for de Havilland Aircraftrelated to the capital and income of the estate. Shute let Company, learning to fly and also completing his first novel,his opinions be known to senior partner James Forrest, who Marazan, which was published in 1926. Concerned hissuggested Shute take his business elsewhere. And he did colleagues might question his commitment to aeronauticalto Arthur Robinson & Co. engineering, he published his books under the name Nevil Shute. When Shute died in 1960 his will was contested by his widow. The increasing income from his novels meant that In 1931 Shute established his own aircraft constructionin the four years since his death his estate had grown in company, Airspeed Ltd, which by the start of the Secondvalue from 154,000 to more than 230,000. His widow World War was one of the major aircraft-makers in Britain.had been allocated an annual pension in the will but was All the while he continued publishing his novels. By 1938now seeking a greater share of the estate. Arthur Robinson he had resigned from his burgeoning aeronautical business& Co found itself in the Supreme Court of Victoria acting to focus on writing. Over the next seven years he publishedfor Shutes executor. The passage in the will that had so seven more novels and enjoyed considerable commercialconcerned Jack Richards became the subject of an appeal success through the 1950s and 60s.to the High Court of Australia. As it turned out, those three words Shute had begrudgingly agreed to from whatever Shute became disenchanted with life in Britain and, in 1948,source helped resolve the dispute and ensure capital as flew his wife and two daughters in his plane to Australia towell as income was received by his wife.establish a new life. They settled on a farm in Langwarrin, south-east of Melbourne, and it was there he wrote some ofJustice Adams questioned whether it was wise for Shute to his most popular novels including A Town Like Alice and Onhave written his own will. Observing the twenty barristers The Beach, both of which have been adapted several timesand solicitors in court, the judge noted that although the for film, television and radio. homemade will was of literary merit, it would have been cheaper to have had a solicitor draft it.Hedderwick Fookes & Alston was engaged by Shute to assist with the preparation of his will. Preferring the elegant 147'