ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

When my sister and I were Munchkins, Mum would tell us stories (in German), all sorts of stories. The 'fairy tales' I recall as a kid were much darker than the Disney-ised syrup that's out now. I believe that Mum's stories were the originals that Anderson and Grimm gathered, before they were sanitised for public consumption.

The following piece was prompted by a Yowie sighting (not by me), and the echo of a story from my childhood .... It is an early piece and a bit rough so please be gentle

Lost Love of Durandur
(c) 2006 Manfred Vijars

Did you not mean Kilcoy Mannie????

I DID Mausie .... (bloody finger malfunction) ...

G'day Manfred,
I don't remember reading the poem before, but the theme seems familiar, have you posted this sometime ago or is the girl in the hollow tree based on a "true" story or an urban myth or am I just phsycic!.....or phsyciatric....

G'day Ross, I posted this some time ago on Ric's site (Frank's old site too as I recall)

The title of the story Mum would tell is (loosely translated) "The Captive Bride". I've had no luck in tracking the story down.

This seems to hearken back to the old mediaeval ballads. Gothic stories I think of them. They are fascinating and I think you have done a good job in relating the Australian bush to the old tradition. No need to pick technical things, we know you have progressed it's more interesting just to enjoy the pictures here.

I reckon Manfred, you could do some more from your mother's heritage influence that would go well and be different and original . I think that, the strange and mysterious belong in the bush poetry genre, well and truly.

Thanks Nev, I tend to agree that it can be refreshing to introduce the strange and mysterious, however our bush culture seems to be laced more with laconic pragmatism so these stories may not have such a wide acceptance ...

Laconic...that's an interesting word Manfred. It comes from Lakon, which is what the ancient Greeks would call a citizen of Sparta, hence laconic means..in the manner of a Spartan.

They were tough, the old Spartans. I wonder if they would defer to the dictators of
" political correctness"

I heard that there's a possibility that you'll get to Tamworth Nev?

With his Beret and Pink feather pen he will go down well in The Longyard ???


Maybe a bit if Slim there " Leave Him out there in The Longyard do not CUT him !!!!


Bob