image of person or book cover 3965867863529687785.jpg
Source: The Australian Woman's Mirror, 17 April, 1928, p. 10
Mary Simpson Mary Simpson i(A96 works by)
Also writes as: 'Weeroona'
Born: Established: 1884 Stawell, Stawell area, Grampians - Pyrenees area, Victoria, ;
Gender: Female
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BiographyHistory

Mary Simpson, nee Williams, was born in Stawell, Victoria, of English West-country heritage, which she drew on for stories that depict Cornish immmigrants. The pen-name Weeroona is reminiscent of Lake Weeroona, near Bendigo. She began publishing when, during a difficult financial period in Melbourne after the death of her father, her sister sent one of her sketches to the Sydney Bulletin. She contributed humorous sketches to the Bulletin for twenty-six years, and also to the Australian Woman's Mirror and the Australian Journal. In 1926 she published a number of these in Tell Tale Stories from the 'Bulletin.' Her stories use urban, suburban and country town settings, with broad humour and sharp characterization. She also wrote comedies and one-act plays produced by the Australian Literature Society.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • See also May, Bernice, 'Weeroona', The Australian Woman's Mirror, vol. 8, no. 21, 17 April, 1928. May compares Simpson's works to Henry Lawson's, in that she was not particularly concerned with plot and that much of her work is better described as sketches. Simpson declared her loves in life as: dogs; The Bulletin's Red Page; old places and houses with a history; old furniture; and Sydney Harbour.

    Includes a portrait photograph.

Last amended 13 Feb 2014 10:24:39
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