Donald Bruce Dawe, Australian poet, was born on 15 February 1930 in Fitzroy, a Melbourne suburb. He worked in various occupations before joining the RAAF in 1959. In 1968 Dawe began teaching at Downlands College, Toowoomba. In 1971 he began as a lecturer at the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE); became a senior lecturer in 1980 and an Associate Professor at the renamed University of Southern Queensland. Dawe's awards include: Patrick White Literary Award in 1980; Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW) Christopher Brennan Award in 1983; the Order of Australia for his contribution to Australian literature in 1992. He retired from full-time teaching in 1993. He died on 1 April 2020.