Adam Lindsay Gordon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adam Lindsay Gordon
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Gordon, around 1860
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| Born | 19 October 1833 Charlton Kings, England
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| Died | 24 June 1870 (aged 36) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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| Burial place | Brighton General Cemetery |
| Occupation | Poet, balladist, politician |
Adam Lindsay Gordon (19 October 1833 – 24 June 1870) was an Australian poet, skilled horseman, police officer, and politician. He was born in England but became famous for his life and work in Australia. Gordon was one of the first Australian poets to be celebrated in other countries. Many people believe his exciting poems about Australian life helped create a new style of national poetry.
Contents
A Young Adventurer in England
Adam Lindsay Gordon was born in the small English village of Charlton Kings. His father, Captain Adam Durnford Gordon, was a retired army officer. His family was wealthy, partly because his mother's family had owned property in the British West Indies.
As a boy, Gordon was sent to several schools, including Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was a great athlete and loved sports, but he was not very interested in his schoolwork. He was adventurous and often got into trouble.
His father worried about him and decided that a fresh start in a new country would be a great opportunity. In 1853, at the age of 20, Gordon was sent to Australia to join the mounted police. Before he left, he said goodbye to a young woman named Jane Bridges, who he had fallen in love with. It was a sad farewell, and he remembered her for the rest of his life.
A New Life in Australia
Gordon arrived in Adelaide, South Australia, on 14 November 1853. He quickly found a job with the South Australian mounted police, a group of officers who rode on horseback. He was stationed in the areas of Mount Gambier and Penola.
Police Officer and Horseman
After two years, Gordon left the police force to become a horse-breaker, someone who trains wild horses to be ridden. He was known as a fantastic horseman. He also loved horse racing and often competed in local steeplechases, which are races with fences and other obstacles.
In 1859, a ship called the Admella crashed near where Gordon was living. Many people were in danger, and a heroic person rode a great distance on horseback to get help. Years later, this event inspired Gordon to write a famous poem called "From the Wreck." Many people mistakenly believed Gordon himself was the heroic rider, but this was just a popular myth.
Famous Feats and Family Life
In 1862, Gordon married Margaret Park. They bought a small cottage they named Dingley Dell, which is now a museum.
Gordon was famous for his daring riding. In July 1864, he performed an incredible feat known as "Gordon's Leap." He was riding near the edge of the beautiful Blue Lake when he jumped his horse over a fence onto a tiny ledge right beside a steep drop. Then, he safely jumped back. Today, a monument stands there to remember his bravery.
Politics, Poetry, and Victoria
For a short time, Gordon became involved in politics. In 1865, he was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly, which is a part of the government. However, he found that politics was not for him and he left his position after about a year and a half.
During this time, he began to focus more on writing poetry. He published his first two books in 1867: "Ashtaroth, a Dramatic Lyric" and "Sea Spray and Smoke Drift."
Move to Victoria
Gordon and his wife moved to Victoria, settling first in Ballarat. He tried to run a business renting out horses and stables, but it was not successful. This was a difficult period for Gordon. He was injured in a riding accident, and sadly, his baby daughter died when she was only 11 months old.
Despite his troubles, Gordon became a well-known "gentleman rider" in Melbourne's horse racing scene. On one amazing day in 1868, he won three different races. He later moved to Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, where he made friends with other writers like Marcus Clarke and Henry Kendall.
Final Days and Famous Poems
In 1870, Gordon had another bad fall from a horse, which injured his head. He was also very disappointed to learn that he would not inherit a family estate in Scotland as he had hoped.
He had just published his final book of poems, Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes. This book included some of his most famous works, like "The Sick Stockrider." Today, it is considered one of the most important books in Australian literature. Sadly, Gordon was facing many personal and financial problems. Feeling hopeless, he ended his own life on the morning of 24 June 1870.
Gordon's Lasting Impact
Although Gordon's life was short, his fame grew enormously after his death. He became known as a national poet of Australia. People loved his poems about adventure, courage, and the Australian landscape.
In 1934, a bust of Gordon was placed in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in London. This is a special place that honours the greatest writers in the English language, and Gordon is the only Australian poet to have a memorial there.
Statues of him were also built in Australia. A famous one in Melbourne includes lines from one of his poems: "Life is mostly froth and bubble / Two things stand like stone / Kindness in another's trouble / Courage in your own." In 1992, Queen Elizabeth II quoted these same lines in her Christmas speech.
Gordon's work inspired many artists, filmmakers, and musicians. His former home, Dingley Dell, is now a museum where visitors can learn about his life and see his personal belongings.
Poetry collections
- Sea Spray and Smoke Drift (1867)
- Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes (1870)
- Poems of the Late Adam Lindsay Gordon (1879)
- Racing Rhymes and Other Verses (1901)
Selected individual works
- "A Song of Autumn" (1868)
- "The Sick Stockrider" (1870)
- "The Swimmer" (1870)
See also
- Australian literature
- Yorick Club (Melbourne)
- The Life's Romance of Adam Lindsay Gordon
