Henry Lawson
Author, Poet (1867–1922)


Turning Points:

1. In 1876, Lawson experienced an illness left him partly deaf.
2. When he was 14 the condition deteriorated radically and he was left with a major and incurable hearing.
3. Early in 1891, Lawson accepted an offer from Gresley Lukin of the Brisbane Boomerang.
4. By September 1891, the Boomerang was in trouble and Lawson's services were dispensed with.
5. In September 1892, Lawson set out his trip to Bourke.
6. He set off on 20 April 1900 for England. With him went his wife, his son Joseph and his daughter of just over two months, Bertha.
7. In April 1903, his wife Bertha officially separated from him.

Achievements:

1.  While the Billy Boils (1896) was Lawson's first major short-story collection. It remains one of the great classics of Australian literature.
2. He became known as a great poet.
3. After his death, Lawson was heralded as one of the country's leading literary figures.