- Born
- 26 December 1874
Haydonton, New South Wales, Australia - Died
- 12 August 1953
Rydalmere, New South Wales, Australia
Summary
Abbott was born at Haydonton, New South Wales, and briefly attended the University of Sydney before going to work on a family property in the Hunter Valley. In 1900 he went to South Africa to participate in the Boer War, later writing of his experiences in Tommy Cornstalk (1902). A few years later he travelled to London where he worked as a journalist and published several books, including Letters from Queer Street (1908). He returned to Australia in 1909, producing articles, short stories and serials for popular publications including The Lone Hand and the Bulletin as well as several works of history and numerous novels depicting colonial society, including Sally: The Tale of a Currency Lass (1919). He died at Rydalmere Mental Hospital in 1953.