Marion Knowles Explained
| Marion Knowles |
| Honorific Suffix: | MBE |
| Pseudonym: | John Desmond, Aunt Patsy |
| Birth Name: | Marion Miller |
| Birth Date: | 8 August 1865 |
| Birth Place: | Woods Point, Victoria, Australia |
| Death Place: | Camberwell, Victoria, Australia |
| Resting Place: | Brighton Cemetery |
| Occupation: | Novelist, poet, journalist |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Children: | 2 sons |
Marion Miller Knowles (1865–1949) was an Australian journalist, poet, writer and Catholic charity worker.
Early life and education
Born on 8 August 1865 in the Victorian gold-mining town of Woods Point, Knowles was the daughter of James and Anne (née Bowen) Miller. Her father was a storekeeper.[1]
Career
She was a journalist for the Melbourne Advocate for 30 years and conducted the Women’s and Children’s pages until her retirement in 1927. She also was a charity worker for the Melbourne Catholic Orphanage and the Wattle Day appeals.[2]
In 1893 her first poems appeared in The Australasian under the name "John Desmond".
In 1931 she received a pension from the Commonwealth Literary Fund.[3]
Knowles was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1938 Birthday Honours, being recognised as "a well-known Australian writer of books for girls".[4]
Works
Novels
- Barbara Halliday: A story of the hill country of Victoria (1896)
- Corinne of Corall's Bluff (1912)
- The Little Doctor (1919)
- The House of Garden of Roses (1923)
- Meg of Minadong (1926)
- Pierce O'Grady's Daughter (1928)
- Pretty Nan Hartigan (1928)
Poetry
- Songs from the Hills (1898)
- Fronds from the Black's Spur (1911)
- Roses on the Window Sill (1913)
- A Christmas Bouquet (1915)
- Shamrock Sprays (1916)
- Songs from the Land of the Wattle (1916)
- Love, Luck and Lavender (1919)
- Christmas Bells (1919)
- Ferns and Fancies (1923)
- Selected Poems (1935), republished in two volumes:
- The Harp of the Hills (1937)
- Lyrics of Wind and Wave (1937)
Short stories
- Shamrock and Wattle Bloom: A series of short tales and sketches (1900)
Personal
Knowles married Joseph Knowles at St Patrick’s Cathedral on 19 September 1901.[5] Her husband died on 18 June 1918 at a private hospital in Melbourne, aged 60.[6]
Knowles died on 16 September 1949 and was survived by her two sons, Adrian and William. Following a requiem mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Kew, she was buried in Brighton Cemetery.[7]
Notes and References
- News: 14 June 1910. Women's World.. 3. The Herald (Melbourne). 10,803. Victoria, Australia. 26 August 2020. National Library of Australia.
- News: 1927-07-15. Mrs. Marion Miller Knowles.. 8. Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954). 2020-01-17.
- News: 1931-08-06. Commonwealth Literary Fund. 1292. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (National : 1901 - 1973). 2020-01-17.
- Book: The London Gazette. 1938. 3703.
- News: 12 October 1901. Family Notices. 9. The Argus (Melbourne). 17,240. Victoria, Australia. 26 August 2020. National Library of Australia.
- News: 29 June 1918. Family Notices. L. 18. Advocate. 2388. Victoria, Australia. 26 August 2020. National Library of Australia.
- News: 17 September 1949. Family Notices. 41. The Argus (Melbourne). 32,150. Victoria, Australia. 26 August 2020. National Library of Australia.
