ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Australia's Sons of Anarchy ….



Jim was born out here, a son of Australia,
both of his parents convicted of crime.
Transported here from the green shores of England
here to do penance and serve out their time.
Jim was a free man and called no man master,
hard work he knew and of it was not feared.
One of the backbones of this brand new country -
young, strong and tough and by life’s hard knocks reared.

Young George had looks; he had money, position,
a silver spoon in his mouth right from the start.
His dress was top notch, his silk cravat impeccable;
his speech so refined that he won the girls heart.
He cheated at cards and he wrenched and he whored
with The Rocks Push around the shores of Sydney town.
He owed the tailor, had large bills outstanding,
and drank like a fish and bought people down.

Out went the cry across town and country
Gold was the cry and the lure of gold strong
men from all over flocked into the goldfields
race , rank or colour mattered not ere long.

Samuel a swaggering squatter from Melbourne
whose insolent manner some claimed clearly shows
that though he had risen from dirt into opulence
the earth’s stain he carries wherever he goes.
The Melbourne Club might accept these blokes as members
but in Sydney town all the toffs had decreed
they’d not accept riff- raff regardless of money,
and swaggering young squatters would their clubs impede.

Dashing and debonair, dangerous and daring,
the delight of young debs clustered in the room.
Dastardly, cowardly, craven, contemptible
were words men used about Damien Groom.
Why so disparate? Pray tell us the reason
for this man displaying personas at odds
with each other? Were girls enraptured by his good looks
and were other men perhaps just jealous sods?.

Such were the sons of Australia’s spawning
different as chalk and cheese, all different bred.
Now they must join and make this land their homeland.
All here are equal or so it is said.

Here a man’s worth is not measured by title
nor by descendents from whom he was bred
Here a man’s worth is earned by sweated toil
of his two hands and what’s inside his head.
Twenty five thousand diggers at Eureka
thirty shillings monthly every man there paid
whether they found colour or not – no matter,
that was the fee and the men were dismayed.

Two and nine pence a day was a traps wages,
mounted police they received threepence more.
Thirty shillings every month was a fortune,
they’d not stand for it – and so declared war.
Unrest and murder and mayhem and mischief.
One Scottish miner cut down in the night.
Publican Bentley was quickly arrested
but a friendly copper soon heard of his plight.

Released from custody in mid October -
but rough justice issued by men from the fields
who burnt his hotel down and razed it to ashes.
Three diggers arrested and without appeal.

Ten thousand diggers assembled demanding
the three men be freed – they demanded release.
November the twenty ninth even more gathered
and flew the Eureka flag. Taunted the police.
The next day at Bakery Hill, Peter led them,
they marched to the diggings and built a stockade
and all were determined they would fight for justice
they destroyed licences as the Southern Cross waved.

The twelfth and the fortieth regiments came in
to back up the police and give strength to the fight
that lasted a mere twenty minutes – outnumbered
the diggers surrendered. That was a sad sight.
To see Trooper King tear the flag from its halyard
as beneath it twenty seven men expired.
Twenty two diggers and five brave police troopers.
Peter Lalor vanished – though injured and tired.

But all was not lost at the end of the day
though thirteen diggers were committed for trial
and Henry Seekamp found guilty of sedition.
He’d not edit the Ballarat Times for a while.

The thirteen acquitted when they went to trial.
Not guilty the vote by their jury of peers.
The Goldfields Commission now met the demands
of the men, set licence fees at one pound a year.
The call had gone out and the call it was answered -
we swear by the southern cross to stand truly by
each other to defend our rights and liberties.
Democracy born in a birthplace of fire.


Maureen Clifford © 11/12

I was hoping someone would jump in and perhaps say what I was thinking which is that verses 2 and 5 could be easily ditched from this without losing the concept behind it. What do you think? Any thoughts???

Or is the whole thing too obscure. ..it is about the Eureka stockade

Also considering changing the title to Australian sons of anarchy

Cheers

Maureen

Making an historic event into an epic poem is a difficult task I reckon. Too complicated for me to comment on the verse.

Interestingly, Peter Lalor became a member of Parliament and eventually held the Speaker's position.
Someone has said he was the only outlaw to become a member of parliament. Is that right ?
Some of Peter Lalor's policies and actions after he became a part of the "ruling class" could hardly be seen as democratically principled. Funny how that happens.

I am just amazed that this episode in our history that I imagined raged for days in actual fact was done and dusted in 20 minutes - hardly seems worth all the effort that went into it but I suppose the fact that it dropped the cost of the licences down so dramatically was a very big plus for the miners.

Probably the only documented outlaw to be in parliament - although I find it hard to think of him in those terms

As you can see Neville I have changed the title - think it works better and still contemplating ditching those two verses...have put it aside for a bit to ponder on.

Cheers

Maureen