George Gordon McCrae
George Gordon McCrae | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 May 1833 Leith, Scotland |
| Died | 15 August 1927 (aged 94) Hawthorn, Australia |
| Children | 6, including Hugh |
| Mother | Georgiana McCrae |
| Writing career | |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Notable works | Two Old Men's Tales of Love and War |
George Gordon McCrae (29 May 1833 – 15 August 1927) was an Australian poet.[1]
Early life
George Gordon McCrae was born in Leith, Scotland on 29 May 1833. His father was Andrew Murison McCrae, a writer and his mother was Georgiana McCrae, a painter. McCrae attended a preparatory school in London, and later received lessons from his mother. Georgiana and her four sons emigrated to Melbourne in 1841, following her husband who had emigrated in 1839.[2]
Career
After a few years as a surveyor, McCrae joined the Victorian Government service, eventually becoming Deputy Registrar-General, and also a prominent figure in literary circles.[2] Most of his leisure time was spent in writing. His first published work was Two Old Men's Tales of Love and War (London, 1865).[2]
His son Hugh McCrae, also a poet, produced a volume of memoirs (My Father and My Father's Friends) about George and his association with such literary figures as Henry Kendall, Adam Lindsay Gordon, Richard Henry Horne and Marcus Clarke.[2]
McCrae wrote novels, stories, poetry, and travel sketches, and illustrated books. After his retirement, unpublished manuscripts entitled 'Reminiscences—Experiences not Exploits' contain detailed descriptions of events from his youth and present a record of the early European part of Melbourne country-side.[2]
Late life
McCrae died 15 August 1927 at Hawthorn in Melbourne, survived by four of his six children, including Dorothy Frances Perry, also an author.[2]
Bibliography
- Two Old Men's Tales of Love and War (1865)
- The Story of Balladeadro (1867)
- Mamba, the Bright-Eyed: an Aboriginal Reminiscence (1867)
- The Man in the Iron Mask (1873)
- The Fleet and Convoy (1915)
- John Rous (1918)
References
- ^ "Austlit — George Gordon McCrae". Austlit. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Cowper, Norman, "George Gordon McCrae (1833–1927)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 9 December 2025
Further reading
- H. E. Chaplin, A McCrae Miscellany (Sydney, 1967)
- W. Dixson, 'Notes on Australian artists', Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 9 (1923)
- R. G. Howarth, Literary Particles (Sydney, 1946)
- Moran, Jennifer (September 2008). "Painter, poet and public servant". National Library of Australia News. XVIII (12): 15–18. Note that the original website (and archived Trove snapshots) incorrectly shows the issue number as 11, rather than 12.
- Spinner, July 1925
- The Argus (Melbourne), 11 July 1890, 16 August 1927
- Family papers (privately held). Extracts of McCrae's papers were reprinted, with the permission of son Hugh, in Southerly magazine in 1946.
External links
- George Gordon McCrae (contains some of his poems)