The Spoken Word in Bush Poetry

[Catherine Lee]

Wow, so much for me to catch up on here...what treasures, and what fabulous information!...I have to say, I do love the inscription on that bookplate. Thanks so much for sharing all this, Gary - as always, it is fascinating.

[Gary Harding]

You are most welcome Catherine. It is a pleasure to share knowledge and physical material here on the ABPA Forum - especially when I receive in return such nice notes of appreciation as yours..

1. I have been a lifelong magpie. Collecting stuff is personally satisfying, obviously. However, I am fortunate to also have the technical wherewithal to be able to take it to the next and higher level. The making of stunning exhibits that allow it all to be placed on Exhibition for the public to enjoy, and especially for kids to learn about their own country.

I wish I had a BIG chequebook.. not to be "rich" which has far less meaning as one gets older, but in order to bring it ALL to my fellow Australians by way of establishing The Australian Cultural Centre on the easily-accessible Sunshine Coast.

Alas, in the rich department .....FATE has dealt me a dud hand.

2. Just like yourself, Catherine, I found that inscription to be simple and yet striking. It just got to me. If one is ever signing a friend's autograph book and chose to write something genuine (not witty) it would be good, I think. Or if in any other circumstance, one wanted to sincerely express themselves to someone special..

Thy heart's wish, wish I thee. How nice is that!

Sentimental? silly of me perhaps? Ha. Yeah, but after all, bush balladists are into saying a lot with few words?? Yes, it was worth sharing it with everyone here.

3. Lately I have been doing a huge amount of work in the field of Waltzing Matilda. Leveraging off the extensive material completed over years of diligence.

So after several months of near 6-day weeks with frequent "3am to 5pm" working days, expertise and a passion for the subject, the task is complete. Hooray!! And I am bushed. A huge but worthwhile Waltzing Matilda job!!

Anyway for interest, here is one item... a 78 record bought for $55 all up.
The show/obverse side is in very good condition which is all I want. Oddly the reverse side has a radial crack, but much to my relief it did not go through the shellac.


Work here has produced by far the best collection and exhibition relating to Waltzing Matilda anywhere in Australia. It is now leveraged to a greater purpose.

Gary

[Gary Harding]

As a very young lad I was given a copy of the book Biggles of 266 for my birthday.

From that small start, I became like many other boys of my tender age, a passionate Biggles admirer and thus gained a lifelong love of flying and aeroplanes. Naturally I gathered up a number of Biggles books which I retain. (see photo below ) Some of the dust-jackets seem to have disappeared.
It is nice to have them because they are full of memories. My mother even became a Biggles fan.

I can still recall a chapter somewhere called the Bottle Party where Biggles flew over the lines and dropped empty bottles on the Hun. These descending bottles sounded like bombs whistling down causing the hapless Huns to run for cover. Jolly good show!

This is not strictly a Collection,but more of a modest accumulation... however, be it spoons or Biggles books, collecting can be fun. The adventurous world of Biggles can still be a terrific place for kids to venture.

[Catherine Lee]

Technical wherewithal – yes, you are indeed fortunate, Gary. This is something I am woefully lacking! But it is also your passion and dedication for your collections and exhibits that is worthy of respect….Sincere congratulations on completion of your Waltzing Matilda project, which must indeed have been exhausting but now no doubt deeply satisfying! This 78 record is an amazing find too – we used to have a lot of those back in the day. There are several things I wish I’d kept over the years, and probably would have if I’d stayed in one place instead of moving every couple of years! Wow, just look at all those Biggles books! Great stories, and I love the outline of the Bottle Party chapter you describe here. From memory, my collections as a youngster were Enid Blyton and later Agatha Christie – not one of which survives in my bookcase today. Thanks so much for sharing these pics and impressive progress updates!

[Gary Harding]

Enid Blyton was a favourite of mine too, Catherine.

I can understand that regularly moving must have required the sacrifice of not retaining things... but then they are still within your mind in your recollections I would think.

1. I dug out two complete sets, new in slip cases. The Famous Five (21) and the Secret Seven (16). When one sees such things at garage sales for next to nothing, surely they cannot be left there.

2. I have a number of other Enid Blyton books. Brere Rabbit etc. My favourite was The Magic Faraway Tree group. A sample is pictured. It has parallels to the Australian Cultural Centre where each topic represents for kids a different land at the top of the Magic Tree. There will be lots of "lands" in the Centre when it is eventually built as it must be for the sake of all Australians, especially future generations. They just cannot be let down by us. That would be a disgrace.

3. There is a large number of "Little Golden Books" in a box somewhere.

I found Noddy from my childhood with the original Golliwogs and Mr. Plod The Policeman ... and good old Big Ears. Two of them are pictured.

Anyway it is all memories to cherish, isn't it... you feel close to them even if they sit in their slip-cases un-read and gathering dust.... but never unloved!

It's a shame Enid Blyton wasn't an Australian or a Kiwi. Thank you again Catherine and my apologies for a delayed post response!

[Gary Harding]

An important exercise being undertaken at present requires at least a superficial knowledge of sheep and shearing in the late 19th century in Australia. Methods, and the men who worked the sheds... plus a bit about the big shearers strike of 1891.

Starting off knowing nothing about sheep and shearing, I comforted myself believing things could only improve.

I even thought a sheep going full speed could nearly keep pace with a horse. Not so (to my great disappointment). Reportedly 70kph vs 35 kph approx (at least a sheep can outpace a chicken 14kph).

At present, all I have to start is a book The Shearers by Patsy Adam-Smilth (pictured) ..and a pair of vintage Ward and Payne hand-shears (date unknown) from my Collection. Years ago in The Shearer's Tally we sang the song The Lachlan Tigers and a line from that was :

"I have a pair of Ward and Paynes, they are both bright and new".

These shears are kept for the memory of that song. Another shearing song was Flash Jack From Gundagai :

"All among the wool boys all among the wool
Keep your blades full boys keep your blades full
I can do a respectable tally myself whenever I like to try
And they know me round the backblocks as Flash Jack from Gundagai."

But the one we will intend to use and have brilliantly choreographed, possibly for the first time, is Click Go The Shears.

I look forward to seeing how it will all turn out.

[Gary Harding]

With the Olympic Games underway in Paris, for anyone who happens to be interested in Sport and in particular Swimming, the post I have included on our Australian Cultural Centre facebook page may be of interest.

It mentions Fred Lane, Australia's first Olympic gold medalist who competed in Paris in 1900 and also swam in the Seine river. To add validity to what we are doing, I have outlined a little of my own swimming experience.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067169599947

We put in a huge amount of work to produce those three truly magnificent books supporting the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. Please feel free to give it a Like if you find it interesting. It is some small but nice return for us on what we do.

They were effectively dismissed by the Organising Committee. If I was in a position to do so, I would sack the useless lot of them!! ... but for now we have more important things to get on with, for Australia.

[Gary Harding]

Sheet music offers a fascinating window into Australian culture. I find the cover art is very expressive of the times and people.

Pictured below is a heavy plastic-folder book containing some of our more prized items, It is only a part of the total collection.
I have a special liking for military sheet music as it just oozes genuine patriotism. A sincere and profound love of Australia is my thing.

There is sufficient interesting sheet music to put a good sample in front of people at The Australian Cultural Centre for them to appreciate.

Of course, many Bush Poets have had their work set to music. Lawson, John O'Brien, Harrington and Paterson come to mind immediately.

I wrote a poem, or tried to, years ago called The Lantern. Paul Bailey, the guitar player in the band at the time, unknown to me wrote some music for it. I was sitting at a table out in the audience chatting at a break and had to stand up and acknowledge after he performed it. What a surprise! But it brought home the association of music and writing.

Culture is an accumulation of the things produced over time that showcase a country; that give it a unique identity. Such "things" take many decades or centuries to acquire. They are not a snap shot of any country as it is today (perhaps thankfully, in the case of Australia)

Australia's Culture is not that of other countries or ethnic groups, stolen from them.. taken without their permission... and cynically re-badged as "Australian" by self-serving governments in some contemptible effort to win the controlling votes of minorities.

Australia has its own proud Culture, its own National Identity, earned over its lifetime. This is despite the attempts by agenda-driven governments today to re-write, denigrate and destroy it.

Australia as a nation is better than that. A certain debt is also owed to our forebears.. well that is my opinion.

Aussie sheet music and the stories it tells are a part of that wonderful Australian Culture that we alone are desperately trying preserve and present.

Unfortunately, Father Time (our ultimate enemy above ignorant governments and their lackeys) is beginning to beckon ominously.

For now, whatever the future holds, it is good fun doing it....
You never know what exciting Australian tracks you will turn down next.

Gary

[Gary Harding]

The Spoken Word.

Australian Bush Poetry or Bush Balladry, due to its rhyming and rhythmic nature can be (and is) used for public entertainment. A number of ABPA Members devote their time to performing ballads in order to entertain others, spread the word and basically enjoy themselves. All this while benefiting from the warm camaraderie and encouragement offered. Spreading the word among school children too, in order to keep Bush Balladry (certainly the most important form of Australian Literature) alive.

Alternatively ... imagine anyone trying to stand up and recite non-sensical Free Verse in front of a crowd of real Aussies. They would likely be dragged off-stage and given a drug test. It is peculiar but "Australian" Governments shower HUGE amounts of money on such alternative folk in pursuit of minority votes...which could suggest that governments and their servants should also be given a drug test. Something which they would doubtless fail.

OK, so you say there is nothing new in all of that!! True.

If you subtract the visuals from stage performers... remove the visual stimulation (gestures, facial expressions etc) .. then you have just the pure Spoken Word remaining. Reciting. The subject of this thread.

At its best (IMO of course) it is represented by the wonderful balladry LP's featuring the late Leonard Teale which can move you to both joy and tears. I have written on this subject before and mentioned Old Time Radio (serials) too. They stimulate the imagination of children.

Comedy too.. and Tony Hancock is a favourite with his work enshrined on LP's. I have a collection of this comedy field. Just a clever use of words and the voice. Intonation, resonance, elocution.. all that stuff. Verbal Delivery. The rich English language. A favourite is Orson Welles and his radio plays (The Black Museum series especially) and I luckily have the DVD's of his entire works.

Sherlock Holmes

Recently I was very pleased to acquire in one lot what is likely to be the complete collection (17 in all) on vinyl of Sherlock Holmes. Forget TV and sit back with a nice glass of something and enjoy a Theatre of the Mind experience with Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce and others.

No mumbling, poor diction or lousy acting. Perfect elocution and no coarse language anywhere! Not needed, if such a thing can be regarded ever as "needed". Fabulous. You are on the edge of your seat with Sherlock and Dr. Watson.

It occurred to me that if ever I have the opportunity to do something for the visually impaired or blind, then Sherlock might be first up, followed by Leonard Teale, then Orson Welles then.... etc..

The Spoken Word is a fabulous world.

Why not give others (family, friends?) a nice change. Dim the lights, draw back the curtain and allow them to switch on the Mind and let it create images. Love it!!

Below is a picture of part of the Lot I procured (with a bit of British comedy and even a Woody Woodpecker 45 thrown in).

Good value for $100 all up I think??

Cheers,

Gary

[Gary Harding]

Jim Grahame's three publications of Bush Verse were :

1. Call Of The Bush
2. Under Wide Skies, and
3. Home Leave and Departing

The third item is a leaflet format.. not too durable and thus exceptionally rare!

It features those two ballads. The only time I have ever seen this item is in these two examples in my Collection, one of which is signed by Jim Grahame and dated April 28th 1945.

Sadly, this is exactly two weeks before his younger son Kenneth Grahame Gordon ("Jim") was killed in action fighting the Japanese at TARAKAN, 12th May 1945, aged 22years and 1 day.

Pte. K G. GORDON, NX124416, A.I.F.

Jim gifted these leaflets to Ion Idriess (very famous author) and I managed to purchase them from Ion's estate.
The dreaded telegram would have been not long in coming after Jim Grahame autographed this for Mr Idriess.

They have tear damage and water staining, but these faults should present no challenge to modern software. This rarity will be restored (re-mastered) and reprinted. Uniquely placed on display at The Australian Cultural Centre. Perhaps as hand-outs for visitors?

Both poems are included in Under Wide Skies.

I have reproduced the poem Home Leave below. The corresponding ballad (not reproduced) Departing is equally as touching. It illustrates more than anything I know, the personal tragedy of war for those left at home. To think that after he signed this and sent it off to Ion Idriess, his son was killed. Shocking.

I rate Jim Grahame in the top six bush poets that Australia has produced. Jim will be comprehensively preserved and presented at The Australian Cultural Centre project, well.. at least for as long as anyone cares enough to do it and keep the light of Australian Culture turned on, I suppose..

Jim was a great mate of Henry Lawson. I am a friend of Jim's grandson (also Jim)

... for now, we press on. Gary