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

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28 Chapter Two – Biographical account 1913 – 1952 “Yea, pilgrims of unrest, we toil The desert and the snow, Each pining for the wine and oil That somewhere surely flow; Each seeking for a secret spoil, Far hid where none may go.” Brady, “The Wandering Foot”.
At Mallacoota, on a green knoll set back from the waterfront among the gums and casuarinas, with extensive views over the most beautiful of inlets and the deep blue ocean from which Brady’s spirit derived so much solace, in calm and in storm, a temporary camp was established to house the young family. Some little distance away a tent was pitched to serve as Brady’s “study” and it was here that his writing was done, often by the light of a kerosene lamp. After a time, the temporary camp was replaced by a fibro house, “mainly one room sixty feet by twenty with a wide verandah”. It was called “Raheen” (“a small hill”) after the original Brady property on the shores of Loch Dug in County Clare. 1 The grandiose schemes which were ever germinating in Brady’s fertile mind were constantly coming in for investigation and, where possible, implementation. He was in touch with the Department of External Affairs in 1913 about the establishment of a commercial farming venture on the banks of the Adelaide River in the Northern Territory, seeking the rights of subdivision and a government subsidy, but an official letter stated this to be impossible under the existing Land Ordinances. 2 Upon this refusal, Brady again sought a more definite statement from the Victorian Government about his earlier proposal for himself and a group of financial backers to be given timber concessions around the Mallacoota district and for the construction of a jetty and other port facilities. In this negotiation Brady had co-operated with Allen Taylor and Company through the Hon. F. Hagelthorne. Minister of Works in the Victorian Government and through direct approaches to the Premier, W.A. Watt. 3 This scheme came close enough to fruition for engineers from the Department of Works to make surveys of the engineering requirements and of the costs, but an adverse report of the chief engineer damned the enterprise. The Government was reluctant to spend the necessary money either at Mallacoota or the alternative Gabo, but agreed to grant a timber concession and to pay half the cost of a wharf at Boat Harbour, Mallacoota, with local producers having the right to use it for the shipment of their agricultural products. 4 Neither Brady nor his supporters was willing (or able) to find such an amount of capital and yet another of his schemes died. At the invitation of the Secretary, Australasian Institute of Engineers, Brady had added his report to the official ones to be forwarded to the Prime Minister, an incident which he recounted to the local newspaper editor with some pride. 5 Brady was also interested in irrigating farm land with the waters of Lake Cargellico, but receiving little encouragement (this, to him, usually meant a financial subsidy), his interest in this project soon lapsed. His work on Australia Unlimited necessitated a fair degree of travelling. He visited Western Australia and Tasmania to make enquiries from the respective governments, securing contracts from them for inclusion of their material in the tourist and agricultural propaganda of this volume. At the time, he was receiving fifty pounds a month from George Robinson, who was publishing the volume, but as he had to pay considerable expenses from these earnings, his financial plight was not really relieved. 1 Brady to Muir Holburn, 26.4.1946, in Mitchell Library. 2 Department External Affairs to Brady, 8.3.1913, in National Library. 3 Brady to W.A. Watt, 7.11.1913, in National Library 4 Brady to Allen Taylor and Co., 14.3.1914, in National Library 5 Brady to Editor, Twofold Bay Magnet, 7.11.1916, in National Library 29
Page 1 and 2: A CRITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF EDWIN JAMES
Page 3: PREFACE The main collection of Brad
Page 6 and 7: 2 Edwin James Brady was born at Car
Page 8 and 9: 4 After days had gone, days and nig
Page 10 and 11: 6 The sea was to continue top hold
Page 12 and 13: 8 By the girls we love, by the God
Page 14 and 15: 10 The regular Sunday night lecture
Page 16 and 17: 12 The Star that I, fool, dreamed y
Page 18 and 19: 14 Out of these acquaintances and f
Page 20 and 21: 16 Writing sixty-eight extra column
Page 22 and 23: 18 The first book of collected vers
Page 24 and 25: 20 When the panoply and splendor Of
Page 26 and 27: 22 Brady accepted the position grat
Page 28 and 29: 24 As well as editing The Native Co
Page 30 and 31: 26 Even this was a limited vacation
Page 34 and 35: 30 In answer to a letter requesting
Page 36 and 37: 32 He wrote to a correspondent who
Page 38 and 39: 34 As well as the verse he was writ
Page 40 and 41: 36 With the approach of the depress
Page 42 and 43: 38 He had samples of the ore of thi
Page 44 and 45: 40 Finally he begged and borrowed e
Page 46 and 47: 42 This event seems to have broken
Page 48 and 49: 44 Amusingly, he regarded the black
Page 50 and 51: 46 At the age of eighty-one Brady c
Page 52 and 53: 48 Brady’s interest in politics w
Page 54 and 55: 50 Brady, along with others, joined
Page 56 and 57: 52 Of course it is possible to make
Page 58 and 59: 54 The Christian gospel embodying t
Page 60 and 61: 56 The excess of emotion in much of
Page 62 and 63: 58 Recognising man’s fear that gr
Page 64 and 65: 60 Another tale of the same period
Page 66 and 67: 62 The unselfishness and self-sacri
Page 68 and 69: 64 An examination of the editorials
Page 70 and 71: 66 Almost all of these elements are
Page 72 and 73: 68 In a further attempt to improve
Page 74 and 75: 70 Comrades, be assured that what I
Page 76 and 77: 72 Chapter Four Utopian theories an
Page 78 and 79: 74 He was also impressed by the Jew
Page 80 and 81: 76 It appears to be a case of overs
Page 82 and 83:
78 The upshot of all this activity
Page 84 and 85:
80 In view of the adverse position
Page 86 and 87:
82 No matter what excuses Brady mad
Page 88 and 89:
84 Brady has left six volumes of co
Page 90 and 91:
86 Henry Lawson (“Joe Swallow”)
Page 92 and 93:
88 While both Brady and Lawson sang
Page 94 and 95:
90 The sea exercises a strange fasc
Page 96 and 97:
92 Taking my shivering trick at the
Page 98 and 99:
94 A lonely shepherd heard the clas
Page 100 and 101:
96 Master! I mourned, it is so writ
Page 102 and 103:
98 It is significant too, that the
Page 104 and 105:
100 Even his own proclivity towards
Page 106 and 107:
102 Considering the fact that many
Page 108 and 109:
104 While is would be obviously imp
Page 110 and 111:
106 “But in real life, my readers
Page 112 and 113:
108 Where emotions are vivid, tendi
Page 114 and 115:
110 The descriptions are removed fr
Page 116 and 117:
112 The poet flattered and chastene
Page 118 and 119:
114 The tawdry nature of the ensuin
Page 120 and 121:
116 This is a pity, for good editin
Page 122 and 123:
118 Then it is obvious that this lo
Page 124 and 125:
120 I’ve had swagsman roast, swag
Page 126 and 127:
122 But it is in the bush-dwellers
Page 128 and 129:
124 Entertaining and beguiling as t
Page 130 and 131:
126 These two “war” serials (
Page 132 and 133:
128 After scraping the charcoal fro
Page 134 and 135:
130 As it turns out, all this is tr
Page 136 and 137:
132 For instance, Archibald’s com
Page 138 and 139:
134 There are a few incidents which
Page 140 and 141:
136 Among the earliest writings on
Page 142 and 143:
138 Although he can avoid the commo
Page 144 and 145:
140 Whether it is the picture given
Page 146 and 147:
142 The desirability of publicising
Page 148 and 149:
144 These writings won for Brady a
Page 150 and 151:
146 Chapter Seven Brady as editor a
Page 152 and 153:
148 Recognising that the author of
Page 154 and 155:
150 Another issue which was receivi
Page 156 and 157:
152 Rejecting the “moral quaranti
Page 158 and 159:
154 As he did in some of his contem
Page 160 and 161:
156 He must be able to work 23 hour
Page 162 and 163:
158 A simultaneous campaign in The
Page 164 and 165:
160 The memorial accomplished nothi
Page 166 and 167:
162 This militancy was soon followe
Page 168 and 169:
164 Of Gilbert Murray Brady wrote:
Page 170 and 171:
166 Quite a lot of Australian liter
Page 172 and 173:
168 His conclusion that Lawson was
Page 174 and 175:
170 Brady was in a strong position
Page 176 and 177:
172 The other poem was inspired by
Page 178 and 179:
174 But such a wish was not to be.
Page 180 and 181:
176 The work for which Quinn is rem
Page 182 and 183:
178 For aye the Bird of Fantasy San
Page 184 and 185:
180 Explaining the term to another
Page 186 and 187:
182 The same judgment which recogni
Page 188 and 189:
184 In general terms, apart from se
Page 190 and 191:
186 Having read the works of anothe
Page 192 and 193:
188 In the 1880”s and 90’s lite
Page 194 and 195:
190 his withdrawal from active poli
Page 196 and 197:
192 Whatever posterity selects from
Page 198 and 199:
194 EPILOGUE
Page 200 and 201:
196 1 Unpublished A Primary Sources
Page 202 and 203:
198 My Blackfellow Book, short stor
Page 204 and 205:
200 vii Verse. Some of the poems in
Page 206 and 207:
202 iii Introductions, Forewords, e
Page 208 and 209:
204 B Secondary Sources 1. Books Th
Page 210 and 211:
206 1V Collected material. Steve Fo
Page 212 and 213:
208 Pseudonyms Peter Amos in Truth
Page 214:
210 Appendix three Articles of Asso
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