Edward George Dyson was an Australian journalist, poet, playwright, and short story writer. He was the eldest brother of artists Will Dyson (1880-1938) and Ambrose Dyson (1876-1913), and had three sisters who were all well-known for their artistic and literary achievements. Dyson wrote under various names, including Silas Snell. In his time, during Australia's federation, the poet and writer was "ranked very closely to Australia's greatest short-story writer, Henry Lawson". Lawson was known as the "swagman poet," Ogilvie as the "horseman poet," and Dyson as the "mining poet". Despite his status as a freelance writer, he was also regarded a member of The Bulletin writer group. In March 1865, he was born in Morrison's Diggings, near Ballarat. His father, George Dyson, arrived in Australia in 1852 and worked on several digs before becoming a mining engineer. Jane, née Mayall, his mother, came from "a life of refinement in England". Brother Will would marry Ruby Lindsay, while Ruby's brother Lionel would marry Jean Dyson. Dyson's family moved about a lot throughout his childhood, from Alfredton to Bendigo, Ballarat, and back to Alfredton by the age of eleven. He attended the government schools in various locations till the age of thirteen. While others his age were exploring the bush, he was investigating abandoned mine shafts and related structures.
