ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Hi everyone,
thanks for making me feel welcome in this space.
A bit about myself, so you know who you are talking to...
I live on a farm near Binalong and am the mother of adult sons who have (mostly) left home.
I grew up in a home where it was considered normal to quote Banjo Paterson, or Shakespeare, or Oscar Wilde, at meal times, doing the housework or whenever. I fell in love with The Man from Snowy River in 5th class and have been learning and/or reciting poetry, mainly Australian, on and off since, just at local concerts, old people's homes, a few schools, family dinners and generally any and everywhere I was asked. I got into competition by accident, when I was invited to take part one night.
In the last couple of years I have started writing my own poetry, and have progressed to the point where I can see the gaping holes in my earlier work!
Am looking forward to talking poetry and improving both written and performance poetry skills!

Welcome Robyn, good to have you on board ....

By the way I Love Binalong, a sweet little town. Paterson grew up there at Illalong and his dad is buried there. Flash Johnny Gilbert was shot and is buried there. A great little town ...

You'll fit in here like a hand in a glove Robyn - good to have you here

Cheers

Maureen

"G'day" Robyn.

I've never been to Binalong
I don't know where it are
probably like them others
way past the bloody tar.
Well them's the ones I likes the best
along them dusty trails,
bushies in the bloody bush
where friendship never fails.

"Onya" Robyn, please share with us.
Jim.

Yes, Binalong is a great little place; population 250, but it's not the number of hearts in place, it's the size of those hearts and like many little places, it's full of people with big hearts. Just last night we were out raising money to send two local swimmers to the Philippines to teach swimming.
Banjo also went to school at our local school, now a two-teacher primary school, and wrote 'How Gilbert Died' about the death of Johnny Gilbert. If you are driving between Yass and Harden, you can call in and see the grave (now in a paddock) and also the grave of Paterson's father is marked in the cemetery, which you'll find right near Sykes Rd (my husband's family have been here a fair while!).

G'day Robyn, welcome to the forum, there not a bad mob here, even have fun sometimes...