Varney Monk

Varney Monk (born Isabel Varney Desmond Peterson; 18 January 1892 – 7 February 1967) was an Australian pianist and composer, best known for writing the musicals Collits' Inn (1932) and The Cedar Tree (1934).

Collits' Inn was described by the Sydney Morning Herald as "an Australian opera".

[1] From families of Scottish heritage and musical ability, her father was a solicitor.

[2] Using Australian poems as inspiration, she set to music three pieces of verse by Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833–1870), eight by Henry Kendall (1839–1882), two by Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963), and others by Miles Franklin (1879–1954) and Henry Lawson (1867–1922).

[4] She was the wife of Australian violinist Cyril Monk, whom she married in 1913.