Anne Godfrey-Smith was born and raised in Launceston. She is the daughter of Margaret Edgeworth McIntyre, the first woman elected to the Parliament of Tasmania. Godfrey-Smith studied science at the University of Sydney after completing her secondary education at Frensham School, Mittagong.
Godfrey-Smith began her professional life in biochemistry, but her interest in literature was formed by her mother who had founded the Launceston Players. Edgeworth moved from Tasmania to Canberra in 1954 where she studied English at the Australian National University and took up the position of Director of the Canberra Repertory Society.
Godfrey-Smith worked for a time in Sydney, teaching at the University of New South Wales and undertaking research for the Elizabethan Theatre Trust. Returning to Canberra, she continued to work in theatre and began to publish poetry using the pseudonym 'Anne Edgeworth'. She also compiled numerous publications connected with youth performing arts in Australia.
Godfrey-Smith's interests extended to an involvement in the conservation and peace movements and to community broadcasting. She also travelled to Antarctica to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, Edgeworth David (q.v.). In 1994, she was awarded Canberra Citizen of the Year for her service to the arts.
Sources: Helen Musa, 'ACT Artists Rewarded for Creative Endeavours', Canberra Times, (26 January 2005) and ABC Poetica website, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/poetica/ (Sighted: 26/05/2009)
