Banjo Paterson had two children, Grace (born in 1904) and Hugh (born in 1906). Paterson had been previously engaged to Sarah Riley for eight years, but this was abruptly called off in 1895 following a visit to her at Dagworth Station in Queensland where she was visiting the Macpherson family. It was here that Paterson met his fiancée's best friend from school days, Christina Macpherson, who composed the music for which he then wrote the lyrics of the famous "Waltzing Matilda". However, following this collaboration Paterson was suddenly asked to leave the property, leading historians to conclude that he was a womanizer
Banjo Paterson an important platform for Paterson's work, which appeared under the pseudonym of "The Banjo", the name of his favourite horse. As one of its most popular writers through the 1890s, he formed friendships with other significant writers in Australian literature, such as E.J. Brady, Harry 'Breaker' Morant, Will H. Ogilvie, and Henry Lawson. In particular, Paterson became engaged in a friendly rivalry of verse with Lawson about the allure of bush life. Paterson became a war correspondent for "The Sydney Morning Herald" and "The Age" during the Second Boer War, sailing for South Africa in October 1899. His graphic accounts