AUSTRALIAN POETESS.

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17243, 31 October 1927, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN POETESS.

MISS G. J. CARMICHAEL.

STORY OF HER CAREER.

It -was stated the other day that as the result of a letter from Africa the grave of Grace Jennings Carmichael, the Australian poetess, has been renovate d. Grace Jennings Carmichael was the daughter of Archibald Carmichael, being born in 18G8, at Ballarat. Her father died in 1810, and his widow married Charles Naylor Henderson, who managed a large station property called Orbost, on tiie Snowy River. This was in the Gippsland Bush. Here she grew up and imbibed a great love of Nature, and the iuiluence of x the Bush is seen in her poems. She began to write to the Australian Press. In the later eighties she went to Melbourne, where she had been previously educated, and there she entered the children's hospital as a nurse. She was devotedly attached to children, more especially to suffering ones; and she remained at the hospital until 1890, when she obtained her nurse's certificate. What may be termed the record of these few years was bound into book form in 1891 under the title of "Hospital Children." Her hospital training completed, Miss Carmichael look private nursing in St. Kilda. She wrote at this time a poem, "Tomboy Madge," describing a sufferer from an accident, and full of Australian allusions. It can be found in the small volume of Australian poems published in England in the series of "Canterbury Poets." In 189f> her poems were collected and published by Longman. They have a preface written by J. F. llogan, and dated from the House of Commons. She had married an Australian architect, Francis Mullis, and went with him to London. He deserted his wife and children, and she was left alone, and in poverty. How it was her Scotch friends never knew of it is extraordinary, but not even her brother in Australia, nor other Australian friends, knew. She died in Leyton Workhouse, and was buried in Wood Grange Park Cemetery, London, in February, 190-4. In 1907 Miss Hay Thompson, writing in Cassell's Magazine on Australian writers, described the facts of her death and the situation of her children, then thirteen, ten, and seven, in Northampton Workhouse. Miss May Viviennc and Miss K. 11. Weston, author of "Sunny South Australia," initiated a fund for helping the children. The generous southern mind could not endure the idea of leaving them. The necessary instructions were cabled through the Premier of Victoria to the guardians of the workhouse. Australia assured. One of the first steps taken on their arrival was to legally effect their taking the surname Carmichael instead of Mullis. Their mother's name was to be their passport. The eldest, Geoffrey, became office boy to a barrister in Melbourne, who gave him a legal Ux&ing. In the Great War he enlisted in the Wireless Signallers in 1915. He was in Mesopotamia, and is now called to the Australian Bar, and lives in Melbourne. The second son, Keith, was taken by'a farmer in Deniiiquin, N.S.W. He was also in the war. The youngest, RupcrL, , found a real home also. The sum of

£350 was collected in Australia to help these boys, and the writer of this account in an Australian magazine says: "The highest praise should he given to the institution in England for the high principles instilled into the boys." A white marble book was sent to England from Australia to be placed on the grave of the mother. On one page was sculptured a spray of wattle blossom, the opposite page being inscribed: "A Wattle Day tribute to the memory of Jennings Garmichael, an Australian poetess. Ah, little flower, I loved of old; Dear little downy Heads of gold."