A former teacher and headmaster, Paul Buddee has been widely published as the author of fictional works intended for children and young adults. He also served in the AIF during the Second World War, publishing a selection of war poetry, Stand To and Other Poems, in 1943.

Buddee published his first book for children The Comical Adventures of Osca and Olga: A Tale of Mice in Mouseland in 1943 and began writing for older readers with The Unwilling Adventurers (1967).

He has also written non-fiction, historical works including, Fate of the Artful Dodger: Parkhurst Boys Transported to Australia and New Zealand 1842-1852 (1984) and The Parkhurst Register and the Fate of the Juvenile Migrants from the Parkhurst Prison, 1842-1852, to Australia and New Zealand: An Analysis (1985).

President of the WA Branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers from 1947 to 1949, Buddee was later honoured with life membership of that organisation. His presidential address, The Mastery of Words, which was delivered at Tenth Annual Corroboree of the Fellowship (held in Perth, Western Australia, 27 November, 1948) is held by a number of libraries including the National Library of Australia.

Buddee was also a concert flautist for many years and conducted the ABC music broadcasts from 1946 to 1951.