She was convicted of stealing a horse in Stafford, over 100km away from home, dressed as a boy and living under an alias of James Burrow at the time – the disguise only fell through months later at trial. $20Īccomplished businesswoman and trader Mary Reibey (1777-1885) was born Mary Haydock in Bury of Lancashire, England, but soon found herself shipped to Sydney as a felon at age 13. A patriotic but critical writer and activist, Mary continued to write until her death at age 97 on 3 December 1962, survived by her grandson and a massive body of work that envisioned a fairer nation. In 1937 Mary became the first person to be appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire for contributions to literature. Debut collection Marri’d (1910) saw a female author articulate the banalities and restrictions of domestic life, while The Passionate Heart (1918) derided the brutality of war, and The Wild Swan (1931) was a critique of the destruction of Aboriginal life and customs. Mary’s poetry collections expressed her political opinions. He wrote long form stories and verses for multiple Australian and international newspapers, continuing to write and publish work until his death on 5 February 1941.įragments of ‘The Man from Snowy River’ also feature on the $10 note.
Banjo became somewhat of a stoic-figure like that of the working class men of his poems a laborious lyricist and folk-poet.Īfter the success of his writing, Banjo became a journalist, leaving law in 1902. His ballads and verses presented – and continue to present – a powerful image of the bushman and country life, creating a mythic figure and embodying the colony’s resilience and determination in the face of hardship and harsh country conditions. He remained anonymous until his first poetry collection, The Man from Snowy River, and Other Verses, was published in 1895 and sold out in a week, establishing Banjo as a literary celebrity.īanjo, who spent most of his life living in the city, was most popular with urban audiences. He wrote under the pen name ‘The Banjo’, after the station racehorse owned by his family.īanjo’s poetry proved popular.
His first published poem, ‘El Mahdi to the Australian Troops’, was published in The Bulletin in February 1885.
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