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The Mary Poems are documentary poetry, based on historical sources transformed by poetic imagination, in the way defined by the acclaimed Australian poet, Jordie Albiston.

Tasmanian-born poet Irene Wettenhall explores critical junctures in the life of her ancestor, Mary Burgess Wettenhall (1809-1896). Mary emigrated from Cornwall to Van Diemen’s Land in 1835 with her husband, Lieutenant Robert Wettenhall (1793-1877). Robert had been laid off from the Royal Navy on half pay in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. Their attempts at farming southeast of Hobart failed with the severe economic recession of the 1840s. A brief stint as lighthouse keeper on Swan Island also failed. Thereafter, they struggled to survive and educate their eight children. Robert became increasingly embittered while Mary faced their circumstances with fortitude.