Dora Wilcox (born Mary Theodora Wilcox, 24 November 1873 – 14 December 1953), was a New Zealand and Australian poet and playwright.

Biography

Wilcox was born in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand to William Henry Wilcox and his wife Mary Elizabeth, née Washbourne. She was educated privately and at

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, England ...

, before spending three years teaching in

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...

, New South Wales. She had been publishing work in periodicals, including the Sydney ''Bulletin'', since the age of twelve, and made the move to Australia according to an "old friend" and obituary writer "to seek her literary fortune". She spent the next two decades in Europe, initially touring with her mother. While overseas she published two books of verse with George Allen (all the while publishing many poems and articles in the periodical press) and married Professor

Paul Hamelius Paul Hamelius or Hamélius (1868–1922) was a Belgian philologist who produced the two-volume Early English Text Society edition of the Travels of Sir John Mandeville (1919, 1923). Life Hamelius was born on 26 April 1868 in Ypres, West Flanders, ...

of the

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...

. After Professor Hamelius's death in 1922 she returned to Australia. She had by that time met and married the Melbourne writer and art critic William Moore (1868–1937), with whom she later set up home in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. Following his death, she became his literary executrix. She continued to publish verse, many articles of historical and literary interest and several plays which were produced and won prizes. Her poem "Australia in Luce" was selected to commemorate the opening of Parliament at

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

in 1927, and "Anzac Day" was set to music by

Alfred Hill Alfred Hill may refer to: * Alfred John Hill (1862–1927), British railway engineer * Alfred Hill (cricketer, born 1865) (1865–1936), English cricketer * Alfred Hill (politician) (1867–1945), British Member of Parliament for Leicester West 19 ...

and often included in official commemorations. Her 1932 play, ''The Raid'', was awarded first place in a competition for one-act plays organised by the Australian Play Society. She was well known in Australian literary and art circles and often an invited speaker at events in Sydney. Wilcox died on 14 December 1953 in a private hospital in Neutral Bay.

Works

Poetry

* ''Verses from Maoriland'', George Allen, London, 1905 * ''Rata and Mistletoe'', George Allen, London, 1911

Plays

* ''Arawa'', unpublished, pre-1923 * ''Aroha'', unpublished, c.1925 * ''Life at the Waratah in the Early 'Fifties'', unpublished, c.1929 * ''Commander Capstan: Comedy in one-act'', Dora Wilcox, Sydney, 1931 * ''The Raid'', unpublished, 1932 * ''The Four Poster : A Fantasy in One Act'', in ''Best Australian One-Act Plays'', William Moore & T. Inglis Moore, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1937 — first performed in 1930

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Dora 1873 births 1953 deaths Australian women poets Australian poets New Zealand poets University of Canterbury alumni People from Christchurch 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women New Zealand emigrants to Australia