Bruce Dawe: Contents page

Bruce Dawe (b.1930) was born in Geelong Victoria, and left school at sixteen. He later studied at night and after working at various jobs, joined the Royal Australian Air Force. He eventually returned to study, graduating with a PhD, and became a teacher in the Queensland town of Towooomba. His first book of poems was No Fixed Address (1962), a title reminiscent of his own early years. He went on to publish many poetry titles and win many awards including the Dame Mary Gilmore Medal in 1973 and the Patrick White Award in 1980. His work belongs to the realist tradition and shows strong social awareness, with religious overtones. The aged, the dispossessed, and those overlooked or harmed by modern society are the focus of his concerns.