Smoky Dawson AM, MBE (19 March 191313 February 2008), born as Herbert Henry Brown, was an Australian Country, Western and folk performer, radio star, entertainer, and icon. He was widely touted as Australia's first singing cowboy complete with acoustic steel string guitar and yodel, in the style of American's Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Dawson had an extraordinarily long and prolific career, releasing his first single in 1941 and his last album in 2005, aged 92. Through his high-rating syndicated radio serials (at their height broadcast on 100 stations), "The Adventures of Smoky Dawson", as well as television appearances, comic books and songs he created the persona of a happy-go-lucky singing cowboy. Dawson did his own version of Wild Colonial Boy, rewriting the words and music with American country singer Glen Campbell. Dawson also met The Kelly Family, and wrote a ditty about Jim Kelly, the brother of Ned Kelly. Family Smoky Dawson was born as Herbert Henry Brown on 19 March 1913 in Collingwood, Victoria. His father, Parker Frederick Peter Brown (21 November 1884 – 1957), was a labourer of Irish descent; his mother, Olive "Amy" Muir (ca. 1880 – June 1919), was of Scottish descent. His parents married in 1905, and they had five children, Leslie Muir Wood "Les" (1904–1920), Laura Olive Emily (1906–1941), Peter Frederick James (1908–1972), Herbert Henry "Herbie", and Edward Parker Peter "Ted" (aka Ted Dawson) (1915–1978). The Browns initially lived in Melbourne and briefly moved to the rural area of Warrnambool. His father, Parker, also worked in a dispensary, and had performed as a baritone under the name, Frederick Parker, at the Bijou, a theatre in Melbourne. Parker had studied as a medical student before serving in World War I. Parker Dawson enlisted in the Australian Army in June 1915 and fought at Gallipoli from October until January 1916 and also served in Borneo. He was diagnosed with neurasthenia and was honourably discharged in August 1916 on medical grounds. Dawson later remembered, "[m]y dad went to Gallipoli ... but unfortunately he suffered a lot from it and so did the family". In June 1919 his mother, Amy, died of unspecified causes and the following year his brother, Les, died by drowning on Christmas Day. By that time his father had remarried. Smoky marched every year in the annual ANZAC day marches, right up until his death Early life Dawsons early life was unsettled, as