by Elizabeth Lhuede

A post in our 2025 series featuring works published in 1935 (or by authors who died in 1935). This post includes a poem by NSW-born Queensland poet, Mary House.

Mary House (1875-1950) was a prolific poet, with the AustLit database listing 118 poems in total. In 1935 alone, she published 14 poems, all in the Central Queensland Herald. The database also lists nine essays contributed to the “Nature Students” page of the same newspaper, each published in 1933 under the pseudonym of “M.H.”. Judging from the poet’s obituary, an obituary which AustLit appears to draw for the poet’s biography, it is likely there are many more nature essays to be found. As the obituary is evocative of the poet’s long life and literary contribution, I thought I’d include in full here below the chosen poem.

House’s poems are conventional rhyming verse, and it’s hard to discern in them much merit, though some do convey the charm of Australian bird life and changing of the bush seasons. Rather than choosing one of these poems, however, I’ve decided to publish one about the editing process which has a gentle self-deprecating humour which I quite like. Although the poem ostensibly discusses a male poet and his work, I suspect House herself wasn’t unfamiliar with the process of rejection and re-submission, before achieving her works’ final acceptance.

Better Than That by Mary House
The editor frowned as he read the verse;
It was carelessly strung and light;
Yet he thought as the bearers carried it off,
“I know that fellow could write!

I’ll give him a hint — he is too cocksure,
Ah! Here is his pen-name, pat!”
So the poet found in a “C.C.” par,
“You ought to do better than that.”

It carried him back to the tasks off-slummed,
In his school days long ago;
The essays written in reckless haste,
And the lessons he did not know.

He thought of his parents’ great chagrin
At his master’s last report,
“Though your son has parts, and a talent high,
He cares for nothing but sport.”

That verse he had dashed off at break-neck speed;
He knew it was far from good.
The editor’s words he read once more;
How strange that he understood!

He sat, and pondering, mused awhile
Over chances now gone past;
Then took up his pen, with a shame-faced grin,
“He shall print it, first or last!”

The editor read it a second time,
And the censuring frown was gone;
And the poet found in this “C.C.” par,
“Accepted! Carry on!”

~

Early Settler In Dawson Valley

The death of Mrs Mary House, widow of Charles House, recalls that she and her husband were among the early settlers of the Dawson Valley.

The family are well-known In the Theodore district, where Mrs House had many relatives, and where Mr House at one time owned a property, Charvel, near the town of Theodore.

Mary, daughter of Mr and Mrs H. V. Hewitt, and one of a family of ten, was born in 1876 at “Springvale,” on which property is “The Burning Mountain,” well known to geologists, near Wingen, NSW.

In 1890, the family moved to a new home, “Dunsden,” near Parramatta, for the sake of the children’s education. Mary attended Miss Clarke’s school, “Abbotsleigh” as a boarder for some years, afterwards becoming a governess – and her brothers The King’s School, as day-pupils.

In January, 1897, Mary, just 21, married and came to Queensland where she lived for more than 50 years. Her first Queensland home was at Banana Station, which her husband managed for Messrs McConnel and Sons of Cressbrook, Esk.

In those days, the only means of travelling was by horse. Within a few hours’ drive of Banana Station (and Banana township) were many other cattle properties – Moura, Kianga, Torsdale, Beldean, Greycliffe, Wandoo, Barfleld and others slightly more distant. Picnic races and house parties lasted for several days, and Mrs House became popular with the young people of the district. She played tennis well, was fond of riding and music and was much in demand as accompanist for singing and dancing at all the parties. She never gave up her music, and loved to gather young people and sing to her piano-accompaniment even in the last week of her life.

After 12 years at Banana Station, Mr and Mrs House went to live at Charvel on the Dawson River. There they were almost the first selectors. This was before the town of Theodore (nine miles distant) came into being. Charvel was a lonely but a very happy home, for Mrs House and her family. Always an apt pupil of bush lore as expounded by her husband, she quickly became absorbed in the story of Nature as she read it for herself.