Mary Gilmore

Mary Gilmore was a famous writer from Australia.

She grew up in small country towns.

Mary became a teacher when she was young. She also traveled far away to a place called Paraguay.

She wrote many poems and stories. Her poems about country life were very popular.

Mary used her writing to help people. She spoke up for women and children.

She was very well known in her later years.

Today, her face is on the ten-dollar note.

Mary Gilmore was a famous Australian writer.

She was born in 1865 in New South Wales. She grew up in small country towns. Mary became a teacher at age 16. She later moved to the big city of Sydney.

Mary was a very busy writer. She wrote poems, stories, and essays. Many people loved her poems about country life. One of her best poems is "No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest." This poem helped boost spirits during World War II.

Mary also used her words to help others. She worked as an editor for a newspaper. She spoke up for women and children. She also fought for better rights for Indigenous Australians.

In her later years, Mary was a national icon. She appeared on the radio and on TV. She was the first writer to win a special honor called a Damehood.

Mary died at age 97. Today, her face is on the Australian ten-dollar note.

Dame Mary Gilmore was a famous Australian writer and journalist.

She used her words to share stories and ideas. People loved her because she wrote about many different things. She wrote poems, stories, and essays throughout her long life. Her writing helped people feel connected to their country. She was a very important part of Australian literature. Many people saw her as a national icon.

Mary's life involved many different jobs and places. She started as a schoolteacher when she was only 16.

Later, she became an editor for a newspaper called The Australian Worker. She was the first woman to work there. She also wrote columns for a newspaper called Tribune. Mary even appeared on the radio and on television. She worked hard to help women and children through her writing.

Her journey began in the rural areas of New South Wales. She was born in a small settlement called Cotta Walla in 1865.

Her father was a carpenter who moved the family often. This meant Mary had a varied education in different towns. She lived in places like Wagga Wagga and Silverton. In 1893, she even traveled to Paraguay with a group. They tried to start a new colony called New Australia.

Mary published a great deal of work during her lifetime. Her first book of poetry came out in 1910. She wrote many famous poems about life in the country. One very special poem is called "No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest." This poem helped people feel brave during World War II. In 1937, she became a Dame Commander of the British Empire. She was the first writer to receive this honor.

Today, we can still see Mary's impact everywhere in Australia. Her face has appeared on the ten-dollar note since 1993. There is even a suburb in Canberra named Gilmore. A highway called Mary Gilmore Way also honors her memory. A special award called the Mary Gilmore Award is given to poets. Even her poems are read by leaders at big dinners. Her many words continue to live on today.

Dame Mary Jean Gilmore was a prolific Australian writer and journalist.

She contributed deeply to Australian literature and national discourse. Her work spanned various genres, including prose and poetry. Gilmore was a champion for the disadvantaged and the oppressed. She used her platform to advocate for working women and children. Her writing also addressed the welfare of Indigenous Australians. As a national icon, she became a familiar face on radio and television.

Mary's early life was shaped by movement and a varied education. She was born on August 16, 1865, in Cotta Walla, New South Wales.

Her father, Donald Cameron, was a carpenter who moved the family often. This itinerant lifestyle meant her formal schooling was sometimes sporadic. She attended private academies and public schools in towns like Wagga Wagga. By age 14, she was assisting at her uncle's school. She qualified as a schoolteacher at the age of 16. This early professional training provided a foundation for her future leadership.

Gilmore's political and social views grew through her experiences in the bush and the city. In 1890, she moved to Sydney and joined the Bulletin School. This group was centered around the radical nationalist journal, The Bulletin. She was influenced by the poet Henry Lawson and editor A. G. Stephens. These connections helped establish her reputation as a fiery radical poet. Her work often championed the rights of workers. She became a devotee of the utopian socialist views held by William Lane. These beliefs drove her to seek social change through both writing and action.

In 1893, Gilmore participated in a major social experiment. She and 200 others followed William Lane to Paraguay. They aimed to establish a communal settlement called the New Australia Colony.

Mary married William Gilmore in 1897 while living at the Cosme breakaway settlement. However, the colony did not meet its expectations. The family eventually returned to Australia in 1902. They spent time in Argentina and Patagonia before settling in Victoria. This period of struggle and travel deeply informed her later literary perspectives.

Upon returning to Australia, Gilmore built a significant career in journalism. From 1908 to 1931, she served as the women's editor for The Australian Worker. This was the newspaper for the Australian Workers' Union, the country's largest trade union. She was the first woman to hold a position within the union. Her journalism campaigned for better working conditions and social welfare. She also helped found the Society of Women Writers in 1925. As a vice-president, she worked to encourage other women to pursue writing.

Gilmore's literary output remained steady even into her very old age. Her first volume of poetry was published in 1910.

She published many more collections, including "The Wild Swan" in 1930. During World War II, her poem "No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest" became a famous morale booster. In 1937, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She was the first person to receive this honor specifically for services to literature. She continued writing a column for the Tribune well into her eighties.

Dame Mary Gilmore died in 1962 at the age of 97. She was granted a state funeral, a rare honor for a writer. Her legacy is preserved through many Australian symbols. Her image has appeared on the Australian ten-dollar note since 1993. The poem "No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest" is even included in the note's microprint. Various places in Australia bear her name, including a suburb in Canberra and a state highway. A poetry prize, the Mary Gilmore Award, was established in 1956 to honor her impact on literature.