18 Facts About Edward Dyson

Edward George Dyson was an Australian journalist, poet, playwright and short story writer.

Edward Dyson was the elder brother of illustrators Will Dyson and Ambrose Dyson, with three sisters of artistic and literary praise.

Edward Dyson was born at Morrison's Diggings near Ballarat in March 1865.

The family led a roving life during Edward Dyson's childhood, moving successively to Alfredton, Bendigo, Ballarat and Alfredton again by the time he was eleven.

Edward Dyson was educated at the government schools in those towns until the age of thirteen.

Edward Dyson's young working life saw Dyson as a drover.

At 19 years of age, Edward Dyson began writing verse first appearing in the Ballarat Courier, and a few years later embarked on a life of freelance journalism which lasted until his death.

Edward Dyson recorded many ideas and maintained a card index, that allowed him to reflect and refine the contents of his writing and produce such volumes.

Edward Dyson penned his first sketches, about mining, when arriving in Melbourne while working in the factory.

Acceptance of his writings allowed Edward Dyson to leave the factory and earn his livelihood solely from his stories, verses, and paragraphs.

The early 1890s saw Edward Dyson investing his savings into a weekly publication, The Bull Ant, produced with later-member of parliament Randolph Bedford and cartoonist Tom Durkin.

Edward Dyson was forced to close the paper after a Constable Cornelius Crowe successfully sued him for libel after being depicted cheerfully bludgeoning to death a helpless drunk.

Edward Dyson did not rank in the top twelve of the 1914 Melbourne's Herald ballot of Australia's one hundred and ten favourite poets.

Edward Dyson's writing style whilst generally humorous, farcical or with exaggeration, tended to be laboured.

Edward Dyson credited artist Louis Bradley as his mentor, and Archibald as his "Macaenas".

Edward Dyson did an enormous amount of work for many years until he broke down under the strain.

In 1896 aged 31, Edward Dyson leapt into the Yarra River to save an individual's life, indicating the physique of the former miner.

Edward Dyson died, aged 66, at his home at 94 Tennyson Street, Saint Kilda, on Saturday 22 August 1931, and was cremated.