Randolph Bedford
Encyclopedia
Randolph Bedford was an Australia
n poet, novelist, short story writer and Queensland
state politician.
, the son of Alfred Bedford, who during 1859 migrated from Yorkshire, England and obtained work as a house painter.
Educated at the Newtown
state school. At 14 he was working with a Sydney solicitors firm as office-boy. At 16 years of age he was working in the western district of New South Wales
, shooting rabbits. He carried copies of Carlyle's French Revolution, Shakespeare and the Bible. He worked for a year as a clerk in Hay
and in Wagga Wagga joined up with a repertory company run by Edmund Duggan.
in 1886, the first of many contributions. In 1888 he worked for a time on the Argus (Broken Hill, NSW), and in 1889 on The Age, Melbourne
for about two years.
Freelancing followed, verse, short stories and sketches, written while travelling in Australia searching for payable mining fields. From 1901 to 1904 Bedford was in Europe and wrote a series of travel sketches. In 1916 these were collected and published under the title of Explorations in Civilization. His first novel, True Eyes and the Whirlwind, appeared in London in 1903, and his Snare of Strength was published two years later. Three short novels appeared afterwards in the Bookstall series, Billy Pagan, Mining Engineer (1911), The Silver Star (1917) and Aladdin and the Boss Cockie (1919), the latter also adapted into a play in four acts. He had also made a collection of his Bulletin verse in 1904, however the unbound sheets were all burned during a fire at the printers, except about six copies which were bound without title-page and apparently given to friends. A few years before his death, Bedford stated that he did not regret the fire as some of the verses included "could only be excused on account of his extreme youth at the time of writing". He was then preparing a selection of his verse for the press which, however, was not published. Other short stories included: Fourteen Fathoms by Quetta Rock and The Language of Animals.
With Australian authors Henry Lawson
and Victor Daley
et al., he was a member of the elite Dawn and Dusk Club
.
, on a platform to secure its abolition (which occurred in 1922). In 1923 he was elected as Labor candidate to the Legislative Assembly
for Warrego
, a seat which he held until his resignation in 1937 to contest the Maranoa seat for the Federal House of Representatives. He was defeated, but was again elected to his old seat in the Legislative Assembly. He had an impatient streak and was not elected to cabinet.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n poet, novelist, short story writer and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
state politician.
Early life
Bedford was born in Camperdown, SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, the son of Alfred Bedford, who during 1859 migrated from Yorkshire, England and obtained work as a house painter.
Educated at the Newtown
Newtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
state school. At 14 he was working with a Sydney solicitors firm as office-boy. At 16 years of age he was working in the western district of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, shooting rabbits. He carried copies of Carlyle's French Revolution, Shakespeare and the Bible. He worked for a year as a clerk in Hay
Hay, New South Wales
Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....
and in Wagga Wagga joined up with a repertory company run by Edmund Duggan.
Literary career
Bedford had a short story accepted by The BulletinThe Bulletin
The Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
in 1886, the first of many contributions. In 1888 he worked for a time on the Argus (Broken Hill, NSW), and in 1889 on The Age, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
for about two years.
Freelancing followed, verse, short stories and sketches, written while travelling in Australia searching for payable mining fields. From 1901 to 1904 Bedford was in Europe and wrote a series of travel sketches. In 1916 these were collected and published under the title of Explorations in Civilization. His first novel, True Eyes and the Whirlwind, appeared in London in 1903, and his Snare of Strength was published two years later. Three short novels appeared afterwards in the Bookstall series, Billy Pagan, Mining Engineer (1911), The Silver Star (1917) and Aladdin and the Boss Cockie (1919), the latter also adapted into a play in four acts. He had also made a collection of his Bulletin verse in 1904, however the unbound sheets were all burned during a fire at the printers, except about six copies which were bound without title-page and apparently given to friends. A few years before his death, Bedford stated that he did not regret the fire as some of the verses included "could only be excused on account of his extreme youth at the time of writing". He was then preparing a selection of his verse for the press which, however, was not published. Other short stories included: Fourteen Fathoms by Quetta Rock and The Language of Animals.
With Australian authors Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
and Victor Daley
Victor Daley
Victor James William Patrick Daley was an Australian poet.He was born at the Navan, County Armagh, Ireland, and was educated at the Christian Brothers at Devonport in England. He arrived in Australia in 1878, and became a freelance journalist and writer in both Melbourne and Sydney...
et al., he was a member of the elite Dawn and Dusk Club
Dawn and Dusk Club
The Dawn and Dusk Club was an Australian bohemian club of writer friends from the late 19th century who met for drinks and camaraderie. Writer Henry Lawson was a prominent member of the club.-History:...
.
Political career
In 1917 Bedford entered the Queensland Legislative CouncilQueensland Legislative Council
The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.Consequently, the...
, on a platform to secure its abolition (which occurred in 1922). In 1923 he was elected as Labor candidate to the Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
for Warrego
Electoral district of Warrego
The district of Warrego is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.The electorate lies in the extreme southwest of Queensland, running along the western part of the border with New South Wales...
, a seat which he held until his resignation in 1937 to contest the Maranoa seat for the Federal House of Representatives. He was defeated, but was again elected to his old seat in the Legislative Assembly. He had an impatient streak and was not elected to cabinet.
Novels
- True Eyes and the Whirlwind (1903)
- The Snare of Strength (1905)
- Sops of Wine (1909)
- Billy Pagan Mining Engineer (1911)
- The Mates of Torres (1911)
- The Lady of the Pickup (1911)
- The Silver Star (1917)
- Aladdin and the Boss Cockie (1919)