Henry Lawson visits his old school

Henry Lawson was a renowned Australian poet and writer, celebrated for his vivid portrayals of Australia’s outback and the lives of working-class people.

School admission record

Henry Lawson’s enrolment at Eurunderee Public School is recorded in the extract below from the school’s register of admission (dated 1867–1885). Notably, the register shows that Lawson was enrolled at the school on 25 January 1875, at the age of seven. While some published accounts of Lawson’s life state 2 October 1876 as the date he was admitted, these do not reference primary sources, making this school admission register especially significant. Henry Lawson (1867–1922) was one of five children born to Louisa and Niels Larsen (who later changed their surname to Lawson). Lawson’s younger brother, Charles, is listed immediately under Lawson’s entry in the register.

Back to school

In April 1914, nearly 40 years after he started at Eurunderee school, Lawson returned for a visit with journalist Thomas Davies Mutch. They stayed at the home of the then schoolmaster, James Elliott. Mutch records that

[Elliott] got out with loving care the old enrolment book. With what eagerness did Lawson run his fingers down the list of names to find his own among them …¹

In addition to checking his entry in the admission register, Lawson also wrote comments in the school’s visitors book, including a poem lamenting the absence of his name in the punishment book (see below). This is not surprising, as the earliest entry in the punishment book is dated 24 October 1879, by which time Lawson may no longer have been a student at the school.

The poem above illustrates Lawson’s remarkable ability to compose a piece at short notice. While his literary output had reached its peak around the turn of the century, by 1914 he faced personal challenges that impacted both his health and creativity. He died in 1922 at the age of 55. Despite the hardships he experienced, Lawson’s legacy as one of Australia’s most influential writers endures.