 Melanie Hall is a third generation Australian Bush Storyteller. Her Grandfather, Arthur Fayers, 'The Galloping Ghan' was a legendary outback character who used the experiences of his career as a shearing contractor, cane cutter and fencer in rural Queensland to craft his stories. Melanie's Father, Frank Fayers inherited Arthur's skill and has been writing poetry for over forty years. The grounding that Melanie received from her Grandfather and Father shows in her writing, where the basis of some of her poems stem from the events and characters spoken of by them.
Reared in Townsville, where she still lives, Melanie is also well equipped to write on topics concerning city and suburban life. She presents her stories from the perspective of a wife and mother whilst retaining the bush style of her forbears.
Melanie began performing poetry at Country Music Festivals in 2001 where she relished the opportunity to relate her families' stories. In a short space of time she has developed into one of Bush Poetry's most accomplished performers, having been successful in many competitions. Including winning the title of Australian Champion 3 years running, she represented Australia at the National Cowboy Gathering in Elko, Nevada, and the Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Denver USA, after winning the Qantas Waltzing Matilda Poetry Championships in Winton, QLD.
As a yarn spinner Melanie has been successful in National Championships in this genre, and this talent shows in her on-stage presentations, where she delights audiences with her combination of yarn and verse.
From her school days she has developed a love of written poetry, especially the verse of the Classic Bush Poets. But it was not until the early 2000's that she attempted to write her own. From her initial efforts she has progressed to writing poems that have achieved great success for her both as competition and entertainment pieces.
Melanie has written a series of poetry for children and uses these poems in her schools workshop, where she receives immense satisfaction from the response she gets from both the Australian and American kids.
Her first CD "From the Bush to the Beach" is in its' third print, and a second album, "Big Words" has been released in January 2007. With her number of written poems steadily increasing Melanie also expects to have an anthology of verse published sometime in the near future. Although she maintains it is most unlikely to happen, as she is a superb procrastinator.
Melanie Hall's poem The English Rose
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