Sheila Ellen Natusch MNZM (née Traill, 14 February 1926 – 10 August 2017) was a New Zealand writer and freelance illustrator.
[2][4] She grew up on Stewart Island, where her father was the wildlife ranger for 33 years, and received her secondary education at Southland Girls' High School.
[1] She then studied at Dunedin Teachers' Training College where she met and befriended Janet Frame.
[5] The two became lifelong friends; in fact Natusch was the first person to read Frame's manuscript for Owls Do Cry.
[7] In the 2007 New Year Honours, Natusch was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services as a writer and illustrator.