AustLit

Edwin Wilson is a poet who has also published novels, autobiographies and works on botany. His Danish great-grandfather 'jumped ship' at Sydney during the gold rushes and Anglicised his surname to 'Wilson', most probably from Wilhelm Jensen Sondelev. Edwin Wilson, known as a child as 'Peter', spent a formative decade, aged six to sixteen years, at Mullumbimby before moving to Tweed Heads. He completed a science degree at the University of New South Wales in 1967. After working for a time as a science teacher he lectured at Armidale Teachers' College (1968-1972) and planted a garden of now maturing trees at 'The Poet's House.'

In 1972 Edwin Wilson was appointed as an Education Officer at The Australian Museum. In 1980 he took up work in community relations at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Wilson's book on the Botanic Gardens, The Wishing Tree (1992) was re-published in 2004 as Poetry of Place. Since his retirement in 2003 Wilson has focused on writing, painting and orchid growing.

In 2008, he was elected as an exhibiting member of the Royal Art Society (RAS) of New South Wales and in 2010 won the RAS Medal of Distinction for the Spring exhibition.