A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF EDWIN JAMES BRADY - Mallacoota ...

20
When the panoply and splendor
Of the tropic sunset dies,
Then my Fancy turns to tender
Dreams beneath the queenly skies. 1
Although not very good verse, it was well-received in the Grafton district
where Brady brought a touch of the glamour and sophistication of the city.
Most locals regarded themselves as privileged to have their editor a man who
was published in the Sydney prese and who had a book of verse to his name.
A visiting concert artist sand Brady’s “Star and Spire” at a local function and
he received adulation not good for his ego or his literary talents, limited as
they were.
Not all the locals however, were impressed by Brady’s charm and journalistic
achievements. In an editorial Brady referred to local opposition against The
Grip (he continually stirred up the local council) and some local advertisers
began to withhold their patronage. Brady cited the large amount of city and
state advertising he was carrying, pointed out that the boycott had failed to
achieve its aim and made some rather vulgar comments about his detractors.
Now was his popularity increased when he went into partnership in a
photographic studio with Norma Dally (whose sister he had been courting)
and saw the enterprise get in to financial difficulties quite quickly. And a
court case, in which Brady was fined five shillings for poling a man in the
back with an umbrella at the local picture show brought unfavourable
publicity. “The cheapest five shillings’ worth I have had for some time” wrote
Brady when reporting it. 2 But in spite of these difficulties he did have
considerable support. He gave a brief summary of his journalistic career, of
his literary friendships, comparing himself with the editor in Lawson’s
“Cambaroora Star” and stating:
You can always enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that the general good
sense of your community is with you and although they may differ from
you on minor points, still in the end they agree. This idea is good for a
newspaper man to hold – especially if he be a radical with aspirations
towards reform. It often makes amends to him for loss of business and
sometimes sweetens his life. It prevents him from becoming little
through the influences of littleness of surroundings. It spurs him to his
daily toil. 3
In addition to urging the local community to greater support of worthwhile civic and
cultural activities (improved concert attendance, support of local drama and
discussion groups, some of whom Brady addressed), he agitated for a water supply, a
sewerage treatment scheme and better roads. He had the capacity to work into his
editorial writings personal experiences which gave the ring of authenticity to the
whole. For example, he told of his experience with a gold mine, when a man called
Henderson brought him a bag of auriferous quartz specimens. Brady agreed to buy
food and equipment for a half-share in the mine, while Henderson did the actual
mining. Ruefully he recalled that there “never was a mine with such a voracious
appetite” and soon withdrew, poorer but wiser 4 .
1 “Twilight”, The Bulletin, 31.5.1902
2 The Grip, 9.1.1902
3 “The Editor’s Easy Chair”, The Grip, 20.3.1902
4 “A general Yarn About Mines and District”, The Grip, 25.11.1901