Fred J. Broomfield
Encyclopedia
Fred J Broomfield was English-born Australian writer, friend of Australian writer Henry Lawson
and prominent co-member with him of the Dawn and Dusk Club
which formed around poet Victor Daley
; some meetings were held in his Darlinghurst home. Before coming to Sydney in the 1880s, where he gained employment as an accountant, Broomfield worked for the Kyneton (Victoria
) Guardian and as a correspondent for the Melbourne
Age.
Flamboyant, bohemian Broomfield was a contributor to The Bulletin
and at one time worked there as a sub-editor. Tradition has it that it was Broomfield who accepted Henry Lawson's first Bulletin contribution. He defended Lawson in Henry Lawson and his Critics (1930).
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 prominent co-member with him of the 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:...
which formed around poet 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...
; some meetings were held in his Darlinghurst home. Before coming to Sydney in the 1880s, where he gained employment as an accountant, Broomfield worked for the Kyneton (Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) Guardian and as a correspondent for the 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...
Age.
Flamboyant, bohemian Broomfield was a contributor to The Bulletin
The 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...
and at one time worked there as a sub-editor. Tradition has it that it was Broomfield who accepted Henry Lawson's first Bulletin contribution. He defended Lawson in Henry Lawson and his Critics (1930).