Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was born in South Australia in 1876. A journalist, among other occupations, he was much loved for his humorous poems, especially The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke. He died in Melbourne in 1938. Alongside A. B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson and Henry Lawson, both of whom he collaborated with, he ranks among Australia’s most popular poets.