Eva Oakley (1881-1952) was an Australian author and poet. She mainly wrote poetry and stories for children; however, she penned some cookery books and religious verses as well. She was born Eva Bessie Isabel Bartlett in Fitzroy (Victoria) on 9 June 1881. Her father was James … [Read more...] about Eva Oakley
brief biographical notes
Mary Gilmore
Mary Gilmore (née Cameron) was a poet, author, journalist, and social campaigner. She is especially well-known for her two most famous poems, “No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest” (1940) and “Nationality” (1942), both written during the Second World War. She was born at the … [Read more...] about Mary Gilmore
Professor Ernest Scott
Ernest Scott was born in Northampton, England, on 21 June 1867, and migrated to Australia in 1892. He worked as a journalist for the Globe (London, UK) and then for The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.). Scott then became a Hansard writer for the Victorian parliament, and then the … [Read more...] about Professor Ernest Scott
Agnes Neale
Agnes Neale, who wrote under the pen name of Caroline Agnes Leane, was an author and poet who lived in South Australia. Neale was born on 5 January 1849 in Cornwall, England, and came to Australia with her family when she was three years old. She died on 22 September 1892 in … [Read more...] about Agnes Neale
Mary Eliza Fullerton
Mary Eliza Fullerton was born on 14 May 1868 in Glenmaggie, Victoria. She wrote twelve books (six under her own name) and numerous poems. Her later books of poetry were published under the pseudonym of “E”, as she suspected that her work would otherwise suffer from prejudice, … [Read more...] about Mary Eliza Fullerton
Michael Massey Robinson
Michael Massey Robinson was born in 1744 in England. He worked as a lawyer, but was convicted of blackmail, as he had allegedly threatened to publish a poem he had written about a London alderman who had been accused in the past of a murder. Robinson was sentenced to … [Read more...] about Michael Massey Robinson
“Kookaburra”, author and poet
“Kookaburra” was an anonymous writer and poet who was often published in The Evelyn Observer, and Bourke East Record (Kangaroo Ground), and its later incarnations as The Eltham and Whittlesea Shires Advertiser and Diamond Creek Valley Advocate (Hurstbridge) and The Advertiser … [Read more...] about “Kookaburra”, author and poet
John Shaw Neilson
[Editor: This article provides links to poems by, and to some biographical information about, John Shaw Neilson.] John Shaw Neilson was born in Penola, South Australia, on 22 February 1872. He died in Melbourne, of heart disease, on 12 May 1942. Books by John Shaw … [Read more...] about John Shaw Neilson
Martin Hambleton
Martin Hambleton (a pseudonym used by Thomas Edward Martin) was a writer for the The Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Qld.), and a teacher. He penned a large number of brief articles, written especially for children; of particular note was his wide range of articles on various topics of … [Read more...] about Martin Hambleton
Raffaello Carboni
[Editor: This article provides links to some biographical information about Raffaello Carboni.] Raffaello Carboni was born in Urbino, Italy, on 15 December 1817. He came to Australia in search of gold, took part in the Eureka Rebellion of 1854, and was subsequently tried for … [Read more...] about Raffaello Carboni
John Dunmore Lang
[Editor: This article provides links to some biographical information about John Dunmore Lang.] The Reverend John Dunmore Lang was born in Greenock, Scotland, on 25 August 1799. He came to Australia in May 1823. Lang was a leading figure in the Presbyterian Church, founded … [Read more...] about John Dunmore Lang
Ned Kelly: Australian bushranger
Edward Kelly, commonly known as “Ned Kelly”, was born in Beveridge, Victoria. His exact date of birth is unknown, but it has been estimated to have been between December 1854 to June 1855. He spent several years operating as a bushranger in Victoria and southern New South … [Read more...] about Ned Kelly: Australian bushranger
Mary E. Richmond
[Editor: Mary Elizabeth Richmond was a New Zealander who visited Australia in 1897, and wrote several poems about the places she visited, later published in her book Poems (1903). She was a teacher, promoter of the free kindergarten movement, and champion of several causes in … [Read more...] about Mary E. Richmond
Caroline Leakey
Caroline Woolmer Leakey was born in Exeter, England, on 8 March 1827, and moved to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) in 1847 to be with her sister in Hobart. She fell ill within a year of her arrival and was an invalid for much of the following five years. During her time of … [Read more...] about Caroline Leakey
Marie E. J. Pitt
[Editor: This article provides links to some biographical information about Marie E. J. Pitt; for various works by her, click here.] Marie Elizabeth Josephine Pitt (née McKeown) was born in Bulumwaal, Victoria, on 6 August 1869. She married William Henry Pitt in 1893 … [Read more...] about Marie E. J. Pitt
Louisa Lawson
Louisa Lawson was a publisher, editor, journalist, author, poet, and campaigner for women’s rights. She was a leading figure in the early feminist movement in New South Wales. Louisa was born on a farm at Guntawang, near Mudgee, New South Wales, on 17 February 1848. She was … [Read more...] about Louisa Lawson
Charles H. Kirmess
[Editor: This article provides some information about Charles H. Kirmess and the authorship of The Australian Crisis.] Charles H. Kirmess was the author of “The Commonwealth Crisis”, a fictional work about a Japanese invasion of Australia, which was printed as a serial in … [Read more...] about Charles H. Kirmess
Charles Thatcher
Charles Thatcher was a popular singer on the Australian goldfields in the 1850s. He was born in Bristol, England, in 1831. Thatcher decided to travel to Australia to join the gold rush, in order to make his fortune. He arrived in Melbourne in November 1852, but after trying his … [Read more...] about Charles Thatcher
Henry Lawson
[Editor: This article provides links to some biographical information about Henry Lawson; for various works by him, click here.] Henry Lawson was born on the Grenfell goldfields, New South Wales, on 17 June 1867. He died in Sydney on 2 September 1922. Works about Henry … [Read more...] about Henry Lawson
Andrew Barton Paterson (“Banjo” Paterson)
Andrew Barton Paterson, commonly known as “Banjo” Paterson, was an author, poet, solicitor, and war correspondent. He is one of Australia’s most famous authors, being especially well-known for the song “Waltzing Matilda” (which is regarded by some Australians as the country’s … [Read more...] about Andrew Barton Paterson (“Banjo” Paterson)