Dawn Colsey is the daughter of James Henry Williams and his wife Dorothy May (Lambert). She began her education at Unley Primary and High schools and has an Honours Degree in French from the University of Adelaide (1963) and a Diploma in Secondary Education from the Adelaide Teachers' College. She married Roger Colsey in 1971 and they have two children. She worked as a teacher until the end of 1997, teaching mainly French and English.
She began writing poetry in 1989 and has served on the committee of the Kensington and Norwood Writers' Group. She is also a member of the Fleurieu Writers' Group.
In 2000 she was studying for a Bachelor of Theology through the Adelaide College of Divinity.
