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John Philip Bourke John Philip Bourke i(A4342 works by)
Also writes as: J. P. B. ; J. B. P. ; Bluebush ; Red Shirt ; Unity
Born: Established: 6 Aug 1857 Nundle, Nundle - Nowendoc area, New England, New South Wales, ; Died: Ceased: 13 Jan 1914 Kalgoorlie, Goldfields area, Southeast Western Australia, Western Australia,
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

John Philip Bourke is remembered as one of the leading poets of the Western Australian goldfields. He was a schoolmaster, prospector and poet who arrived in Western Australia about 1894. By 1899 he had settled in Boulder as a working miner and, under the pseudonym, 'Bluebush', began submitting poems and paragraphs to the local press. He had previously been an occasional contributor to The Bulletin. Bourke rapidly became popular and from 1906 was staff poet for the Sun (Kalgoorlie). His work was also published in the Perth Sunday Times.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • In a note to A G Stephens, q.v., Bourke listed 1860 as the year of his birth; ADB states, however, that he was born on 6 August 1857.
  • See also the full Australian Dictionary of Biography Online entry for John Philip Bourke
Last amended 24 Sep 2008 13:04:09
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