[Letter from Gertrude Lawson] [by Gertrude Lawson, 28 July 1900]

[Editor: This letter, from Gertrude Lawson, was published in the “All About People” section in The Catholic Press (Sydney, NSW), 28 July 1900. The letter was written in reference to a news item regarding Louisa Lawson and Henry Lawson, which was published in the 7 July 1900 issue of The Catholic Press.]

[Letter from Gertrude Lawson]

Sir, — I noticed a paragraph in your paper of two weeks ago, which stated that Henry Lawson was born at Gulgong. This is incorrect. Different statements as to his birthplace have appeared in many papers. Henry was born at Grenfell. It was in the time of a flood.

There have also been many incorrect statements concerning his father. Some say he was a retired sailor, and others a digger. Mr. Lawson “retired” from the sea at 19, after he had travelled most parts of the world, and learnt several languages. His father had a school of navigation in Norway. He left the diggings directly after Henry’s birth, to take up his occupation as builder and contractor.

Mrs. Lawson received £450 compensation from the Government. Not £300, as your paragraph states.

— Yours &c.,

GERTRUDE LAWSON.

Source:
The Catholic Press (Sydney, NSW), 28 July 1900, p. 11, column 4

Editor’s notes:
&c. = an alternative form of “etc.”: an abbreviation of “et cetera” (also spelt “etcetera”), a Latin term (“et” meaning “and”, “cetera” meaning “the rest”) which is translated as “and the rest (of such things)”, used in English to mean “and other similar things”, “other unspecified things of the same class”, “and so forth”

diggings = a mining locality (e.g. the gold diggings of the 1850s, where miners would work in mines, and camp nearby); an area where mining is occurring or has occurred, i.e. an area where the mines are in current use, or an area where the mines have been abandoned (and not replaced by another usage, such as farming, housing, or suburbs); a place where metals, ore, or precious stones have been dug out of the ground on a wide scale; a mining operation

[Editor: The original text has been separated into paragraphs.]