Frank S. Williamson
Encyclopedia
Francis Samuel Williamson (18 January 18656 February 1936) was an Australia
n poet
who was published under the name Frank S. Williamson.
-born coachmaker and his Scottish
wife. He was born in Fitzroy, Victoria
, and attended Scotch College, Melbourne
.
State School and the following year moved to North Melbourne
State School. Williamson taught at Wesley College, Melbourne
from 1888 until 1894 under Arthur Way
's headship. He was popular as a junior master and was known as Long Bill. His classes were informal and easy-going for the boys - a situation not entirely agreeable to all his students. As an Old Boy, Sir Frederic Eggleston
was severe: "while a good poet who inspired many boys with a love of poetry, Williamson was irregular and though he was kept on for many years … became almost an outcast." Williamson moved to Sydney
in 1894 join Arthur Lucas
's staff at Newington College
. While at Newington he wrote the words for the school song, Dear Newingtonia. In 1902 he returned to Wesley to teach, to coach rowing
and cricket
and to serve as an officer of cadets
. In 1904 he was dismissed for drunkenness. The rest of Williamson's teaching career was spent as a locum
in the Victorian Department of Education. He was a temporary head teacher in fifty-four rural schools between 1905 and 1930
he belonged to a discussion group called The Heretics.
A collection of Williamson's poetry, Purple and Gold, containing twenty-eight poems, was published by Thomas Lothian in 1912, under the name Frank S. Williamson. His best known poem, The Magpie's Song, appeared in several anthologies over the next two decades. The first edition of the anthology had several misprints, but these were corrected in a second and enlarged edition published in 1940 with a portrait. The new book of poetry contained fifty-five poems and was published with a foreword by Sir John Latham, the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
. He saw "a lyrical quality of delicate beauty" in Williamson's work. Some of the poems in this volume have the true touch and have been deservedly included in several anthologies of Australian verse. Percival Serle
considered him a strange case of an educated man writing a fair amount of verse of small merit until in middle life 'something blossomed in him and he wrote half a dozen quite beautiful poems'.
On his retirement the Commonwealth awarded Williamson a literary pension. He died in Melbourne having never married.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who was published under the name Frank S. Williamson.
Early life
Williamson was the son of an EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born coachmaker and his Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
wife. He was born in Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
, and attended Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
Teaching career
In 1882 he was appointed as a pupil-teacher at FlemingtonFlemington, Victoria
Flemington is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, situated between the Maribyrnong River and Moonee Ponds Creek 4 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. It was named by settler James Watson after Flemington estate in Scotland. Its Local Government Areas are the...
State School and the following year moved to North Melbourne
North Melbourne, Victoria
North Melbourne is a large inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. It is bounded by the CityLink freeway to the west, Victoria Street to the south, O'Connell and Peel Streets to the east and Flemington Road to the north. Its...
State School. Williamson taught at Wesley College, Melbourne
Wesley College, Melbourne
Wesley College, Melbourne is an independent, co-educational, Christian day school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is a school of the Uniting Church in Australia. Wesley is the largest school in Australia by enrolment, with 3,511 students and 564 full-time staff...
from 1888 until 1894 under Arthur Way
Arthur Way
Arthur Sanders Way , was a classical scholar, translator and headmaster of Wesley College, Melbourne, Australia....
's headship. He was popular as a junior master and was known as Long Bill. His classes were informal and easy-going for the boys - a situation not entirely agreeable to all his students. As an Old Boy, Sir Frederic Eggleston
Frederic Eggleston
Sir Frederic William Eggleston was a lawyer, politician, diplomat, writer and controversialist, born in Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia on 17 October 1875.-Early life:...
was severe: "while a good poet who inspired many boys with a love of poetry, Williamson was irregular and though he was kept on for many years … became almost an outcast." Williamson moved to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1894 join Arthur Lucas
Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas
Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas was an English-born Australian schoolmaster and scientist.-Early life:Lucas born was born in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, the third son of the Rev. Samuel Lucas, a Wesleyan minister, and his wife Elizabeth, née Broadhead...
's staff at Newington College
Newington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. While at Newington he wrote the words for the school song, Dear Newingtonia. In 1902 he returned to Wesley to teach, to coach rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and to serve as an officer of cadets
Australian Army Cadets
The Australian Army Cadets is a youth organisation that is involved with progressive training of youths in military and adventurous activities. The programme has more than 19,000 Army Cadets between the ages of 12½ and 19 based in 236 units around Australia...
. In 1904 he was dismissed for drunkenness. The rest of Williamson's teaching career was spent as a locum
Locum
Locum, short for the Latin phrase locum tenens , is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another. For example, a locum doctor is a doctor who works in the place of the regular doctor when that doctor is absent, or when a hospital/practice is short-staffed...
in the Victorian Department of Education. He was a temporary head teacher in fifty-four rural schools between 1905 and 1930
Creative career
As a young man Williamson had written verse of small merit, but in middle life for a short period he appears to have been inspired by the scenery of his native country to do better work which he polished with great care. With Bernard O'DowdBernard O'Dowd
Bernard Patrick O'Dowd was an Australian activist, educator, poet, journalist, and author of several law books and poetry books. O'Dowd worked as an assistant-librarian and later Chief Parliamentary Draughtsman in the Supreme Court at Melbourne for 48 years;he was also a co-publisher and writer...
he belonged to a discussion group called The Heretics.
A collection of Williamson's poetry, Purple and Gold, containing twenty-eight poems, was published by Thomas Lothian in 1912, under the name Frank S. Williamson. His best known poem, The Magpie's Song, appeared in several anthologies over the next two decades. The first edition of the anthology had several misprints, but these were corrected in a second and enlarged edition published in 1940 with a portrait. The new book of poetry contained fifty-five poems and was published with a foreword by Sir John Latham, the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
. He saw "a lyrical quality of delicate beauty" in Williamson's work. Some of the poems in this volume have the true touch and have been deservedly included in several anthologies of Australian verse. Percival Serle
Percival Serle
Percival Serle was an Australian biographer and bibliographer.Serle was born in Victoria and for many years worked in a life assurance office before becoming chief clerk and accountant at the University of Melbourne...
considered him a strange case of an educated man writing a fair amount of verse of small merit until in middle life 'something blossomed in him and he wrote half a dozen quite beautiful poems'.
On his retirement the Commonwealth awarded Williamson a literary pension. He died in Melbourne having never married.