Biography & Autobiography

Ernest Briggs
Brisbane: Ernest Briggs, 1967.

The unpublished childhood autobiography of Australian poet, broadcaster, and critic Ernest Briggs (1905-1967). Prepared in Brisbane in 1967, the same year as the author’s death from a myocardial infarction, the typescript is an original source of life in early 20th century New South Wales and also contains 12 mounted photographs with manuscript captions. Littered with his poems and other flourishes Briggs tells of his childhood in a cottage in the then rural bush setting of Marsden Park, Riverstone, north-west of Sydney. After his mother’s death at the age of 3 Briggs spends the next three years at the Ashfield Infant’s Home, he tells of this time and of his relationship with Matron Rebecca Marston. At age 6 Briggs returns to Marsden Park, a sickly child, he is given a doctors pass on school and spends most of his time at his father’s bootmaking workshop in Riverstone, or in the bush around the cottage, both of which he describes at length. He also recounts some of his father’s childhood stories at Ballarat and Clunes, Victoria. A fifth-generation Australian, included are various Briggs family colonial history and correspondence from the early to mid 1800s. His father, growing weary of Ernest’s stubbornness and requiring reprieve does eventually send him off to school and some of his experiences in the small town school are told, with beatings regular. His creative differences quickly become obvious and he further retreats into the beauty of the countryside. Briggs creative interests also began at home, “Once when a visitor had said, ‘Quite an art-showing you’ve got here, Charlie’ my father walked around the room saying, ‘It comes of mixing with artists in my younger days. Not many, but good…. This is a Burket-Foster..; here are a couple by the noted water-colourist, Miss Allingham, a friend of Jessie’s.., she loved the foreshores of the Harbour, as you can see; this is by Gerrard, I did his framing for a number of years; this is by Uncle Tom Roberts, the first man in Australia to paint extensive oils .. you’ll see a couple of unfinished Roberts in the spare room.” Also recounted are trips into Sydney on public holidays with his father, through his eyes we are given a tour of the city and its landmarks, and also told of the history of Sydney’s early years. Ernest tells of his boyhood encounter on the street with actress Nellie Stewart, and working as a messenger-boy in Sydney of casually meeting Dame Nellie Melba, another formative creative moment. Other holiday trips are described viewing old mills out past Campbelltown, or north to Windsor and Richmond, the Camperdown cemetery, and other regional historic sites.