George Matson came to South Australia from Nova Scotia as a child. 'Mr Matson's father was, in 1854, master and owner of the schooner Daphne, navigating the Australian coast, but who was unfortunately killed, in company with his little son, by a bursting cannon on the 'L'Esperance' at Timor...The effect of this great loss on Mr. Matson's mind followed him through life, for he was only ten years old at the time of the occurrence, and was saved only by a hair's breadth from a similar fate to his brother and father. This event is portrayed in his first poem, which he wrote when he was 15 years of age.' (Preface to his Australian Poetry.)
Matson lived at Port Adelaide for some time, and worked as a bootmaker. His obituary in the Register (20 February 1915) records that he became 'a voluminous writer of verse on a large variety of subjects. Hardly any event of special interest occurred which was not marked by a poem from the ever-ready pen of George Matson.' He wrote poems with a 'rheumatism-cramped hand' to commemorate particular events in the Boer War. 'Some of these poems were sold by the author, even when his own financial means were straitened, and yielded substantial increases to various patriotic funds.'
In December 1909 Matson was granted a 'literary pension' of £20 a year by the Commonwealth of Australia.
Matson moved to Perth in later years, doing some casual work for Perth newspapers. After his death his widow published his work in a posthumous volume, Australian Poetry (1915).
