Gordon, Adam Lindsay (1833-1870), was one of the first poets to write in a distinctively Australian dialect. Gordon is sometimes regarded as the father of the bush ballad. During the 1800’s, while traditional forms of poetry persisted, popular writers began to develop a local form of the ballad. Gordon led the way with Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes, published the day before his death on June 24, 1870. Gordon led a vigorous outdoor life. He became known for his great daring in horse riding and boxing. The swift-moving rhythms of his ballads reflect his love of life in the open.
Gordon was born on Oct. 19, 1833, in the Azores, the son of a former cavalry officer. He was educated in England but sent by his father to Australia. He settled in South Australia in 1853. Gordon became a mounted police officer and, later, a wandering horse breaker. He inherited money from his mother and settled near the South Australian town of Mount Gambier. He gained a reputation for his sporting verse. Gordon became a member of the South Australian Parliament in 1865 but soon resigned. While in South Australia, he wrote two volumes of poetry, Sea Spray and Smoke Drift and Ashtaroth (both 1867). He then moved to Melbourne, where he became friends with such Australian writers as Marcus Clarke and Henry Kendall. Gordon suffered from severe depression aggravated by a series of personal misfortunes. He took his own life at the age of 36.
