Lilian Wooster Greaves (21 December 1869 – 28 January 1956) was a

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

n botanist and poet.

Personal life

Greaves was born in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

, Victoria, where her father, William H. Wooster, was lecturer of botany at the

Federation University Australia Federation University Australia (FedUni) is a public university based in Victoria, Australia. It is the modern descendant of the School of Mines Ballarat, established in 1870 as the fourth tertiary institution in Australia, which evolved to f ...

. She married William John Greaves in February 1893 in Ballarat, and their children Mabel and Grace were born in Victoria and son Archibald in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. The family arrived in Western Australia on in 1904. Daughters Elsie and Rose were born in the following three years in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

and Cottesloe. After the family moved to Western Australia, they lived at different stages in

Wongan Hills Wongan Hills is a range of low flat-topped hills in the Avon Wheatbelt bioregion of Western Australia. It is located at , in the Shire of Wongan–Ballidu. History The range was first recorded in 1836 by Surveyor General of Western Australia Jo ...

, Mundaring, Cottesloe, and Leederville during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The last place of residence was in

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Literary career

Greeves was a member of the Women Writers Club and representative of the Institute of British Poetry in Western Australia. Her poetry was regularly published in local newspapers and magazines. In 1915, she won first prize in '' The Bookman's'' annual poetry competition. During the First World War she wrote patriotic verses and songs. Some post war poetry was published in commemoration of

Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

. Her papers are kept in the private archives of the State Library of Western Australia's

Battye Library The J S Battye Library (more properly known as the J. S. Battye Library of West Australian History) is an arm of the State Library of Western Australia. It stores much of the state's historical records and original publications including books, ...

Books of poetry

* * * – reprinted in 1914 * – also in an illustrated edition, combined with a booklet about wildflowers – (separate edition as:

Poems in newspapers

* 1915 – ''Women's War'' (Bendigo Advertiser, Victoria) * 1915 – ''Roses in Rain'' (The Advocate, Melbourne, Australia) * 1916 – ''Peace or War'' (The Watchman, Sydney, Australia) * 1920 – ''Where love dwells'' * 1921 – New Thoughts (Western Mail, Perth, Western Australia) * 1925 – ''Hope'' (Western Mail, Perth, Western Australia) * 1926 – ''England'' (Western Mail, Perth, Western Australia) * 1926 – ''Remembrance'' (Western Mail, Perth, Western Australia) * 1926 – ''How the Wild Flowers Came'' (The Capricornian, Rockhampton, Queensland) * 1943 – ''Birds at Wongan Hills'' (The Methodist, Sydney, Australia)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greaves, Lilian Wooster 1869 births 1956 deaths Australian botanists Australian women poets 19th-century Australian women writers 20th-century Australian women writers Writers from Western Australia