Robert Richardson (1850–1901) was an Australian journalist, poet and writer for children, possibly the first Australian-born children's writer.Austlit - Robert Richardson He was born in New South Wales, eldest son of John Richardson, a New South Wales politician and store-keeper, and Janet, sister of Peter Nicol Russell.Australian Dictionary of Biography - Richardson, John (1810–1888)
Richardson completed a B.A. at the University of Sydney and later became well known for his contributions to a number of Sydney and Australian periodicals and newspapers. He was also a member of the firm of Richardson and Company, an Armidale-based millers and general store-keepers, started by his father."The Late Mr Robert Richardson" Evening News, 5 October 1901, p4
Mark Twain adapted the final stanza of his poem Annette for Twain's daughter's headstone. http://www.twainquotes.com/headstone.html
He left Australia for a life in Edinburgh in 1886 before returning to Sydney around 1894. He died in Armidale on 4 October 1901.
Bibliography Children's fiction Our Junior Mathematical Master; and, A Perilous Errand (1876) Black Harry, or, Lost in the Bush (1877) The Young Cragsman and Other Stories (1878) A Little Australian Girl, or, The Babes in the Bush; and, Jim : A Little Nigger (1881) Little Flotsam : A Story for Boys and Girls, and Other Tales (1881) The Best of Chums and Other Stories (1881) A Lighthouse Keeper for a Night and Other Stories (1881) The Hut in the Bush : A Tale of Australian Adventure, and Other Stories (1883) Adventurous Boat Voyages (1884)
Poetry Willow and Wattle : Poems (1893), including Annette
References