Richard Rowe (1828-1879), under the pseudonym Peter Possum, wrote a semi-regular column titled “Country Comments on Passing Events”. It was literary and observational in style and very popular.
A collection of his various writings – including poetry, translations and essays was published in 1858, under the title Peter ‘Possum’s Portfolio. It reproduces the two part essay that was earlier published without a byline on two consecutive weeks in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Selected Articles
- “Country comments on passing events”, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 November, 1857 – (an essay about the Sydney suburb of Balmain and cricket),
- “A Trip up the Hunter: How I started for Muswellbrook and only got to Maitland’, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 January 1856
- “A Trip up the Hunter: Pocketed At Last”, Sydney Morning Herald, 5 February, 1856.
- “Country comments on passing events”, 9 March, 1857, Sydney Morning Herald, (an account of coach travel in Sydney)
‘A Trip Up The Hunter’ comprises chapters 1 and 2 of Rowe’s anthology, Peter ‘Possum’s Portfolio (1858), JR Clarke, Sydney.
When Rowe returned to Britain in 1858, his departure from Australia’s journalism community was lamented.
Obituary:
“Death of Peter Possum”, Obituary, Queenslander, 14 February 1880,