Australian poet Donald Bruce Dawe was born on 15 February 1930 in Fitzroy, Melbourne. He first experimented with poetry in high school, publishing under the pseudonym Llewellyn Rhys. After leaving school, he worked in various blue collar occupations before attending the University of Melbourne in 1954, where he took up poetry more seriously. In 1959, Dawe joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), where he served until 1968. On 27 January 1964 Dawe married Gloria Desley Blain, and the couple had four children. They remained married until Gloria's death in 1997. While in the RAAF, Dawe completed his first degree and published three volumes of poetry. After leaving the RAAF, Dawe began teaching at Downlands College, Toowoomba, in 1969. Two years later he started working at the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE) (later renamed the University of Southern Queensland), first as a lecturer and eventually as a senior lecturer. In 1990, after earning both a masters degree and a doctorate, he was appointed Associate Professor. Dawe's awards include: the 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, particularly in the field of poetry, in 1992; and the Centenary Medal in 2001. He retired from full-time teaching in 1993. He died on 1 April 2020 in Caloundra, Queensland, survived by his second wife, Ann Elizabeth (Liz) Dawe.