The Secret Key, And Other Verses (Unabridged)

Born in London of Welsh parents, George Essex Evans was raised and educated by his mother Mary Ann (née Owen) in Pembrokeshire after she was widowed when George was only a few months old. Emigrating to Queensland with his siblings to Australia at age 17 with the intention of farming, Evans was badly injured in a horse-riding accident, when he was thrown against a tree and was unable to do any physical work. Evans was described as a reserved man, and at times rather moody and impulsive. However, he was also described as a kind person and a loyal friend. He had a strong sense of honour and self-respect, traits that made him a model husband and father. Evans was described as having a tremendous memory, particularly for poetic verse, of which he was able to recite a prodigious amount. Few of his contemporaries were able to match his breadth of knowledge of English, American, and Australian poetry.