Marion Knowles


Marion Miller Knowles 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 Miller. Her father was a storekeeper.

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.
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.
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".

Works

Novels

Barbara Halliday: A story of the hill country of Victoria Corinne of Corall's Bluff The Little Doctor The House of Garden of Roses Meg of Minadong Pierce O'Grady's Daughter
  • ''Pretty Nan Hartigan''

Poetry

Songs from the Hills Fronds from the Black's Spur Roses on the Window Sill A Christmas Bouquet Shamrock Sprays Songs from the Land of the Wattle Love, Luck and Lavender Christmas Bells Ferns and Fancies Selected Poems, republished in two volumes:
  • * The Harp of the Hills
  • * ''Lyrics of Wind and Wave''

Short stories

  • ''Shamrock and Wattle Bloom: A series of short tales and sketches''

Personal

Knowles married Joseph Knowles at St Patrick’s Cathedral on 19 September 1901. Her husband died on 18 June 1918 at a private hospital in Melbourne, aged 60.
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.