 Jack Drake was first introduced to the bush poetry of Banjo Patterson at age seven in 1957. Words and verse became a part of his life. But he did not only read about the bush, he lived it.
School had few attractions for a lad who could think of little but horses, cattle, dogs and the outdoor life, and neither Jack nor the Education System were unduly concerned when they parted ways at the earliest legal age.
Jack broke in his first horse and competed in his first Rodeo at 14 years of age and from that time, his career path was assured. Breaking in, Shoeing, and Saddling became his main occupation supplemented by mustering, fencing, yard building, shearing and any other form of rural endeavour that didn’t involve time clocks and regular working hours.
He was always blessed or cursed, with the ‘gift of the gab’, and from an early age announced shows, rodeos and M.C.’d country dances. He wrote poetry from his teenage years but would rather forget some of his early efforts. He is quite happy to admit it was only later in life that his work had any substance.
In 1986 he entered the Tourism business on Queensland’s Gold Coast and put on a daily performance called “The Aussie Outback Show” at a theme park. The show contained a Stockhorse routine, working sheep dogs, whip cracking and bush poetry. He also ran a shearing and ram parade show and operated a mini Cobb and Co. coach.
Five years on the Gold Coast was enough for any bushie and in 1991 Jack and his wife Stella set up “Red Gum Ridge Trail Rides” in the border ranges near Stanthorpe. Taking tourists on escorted rides from 1 hour to 2 days duration filled in the next 11 years and it was during this time Jack began seriously writing bush poetry.
National recognition came in 2001 when he won the Australian Bush Poet of the Year Quest run by Asthma NSW and the Womens Weekly magazine. By 2001 there was enough performance work, book and C.D. sales to allow Jack and Stella to give the horse business up and concentrate on bush poetry.
Jack’s two C.D.s “The Cattle Dog’s Revenge” and “Dinkum Poetry” have both gained nominations for the Australian Bush Laureate Awards. His 3rd CD is “Bronco Harry’s Last Ride”. After self publishing four books, he was picked up by Central Queensland University Press. His first professionally published book of ballads and yarns “The Cattle Dog’s Revenge” was released in July 2003 and has been reprinted several times.
A second National Award was won in 2004 with this book earning a Golden Gumleaf Trophy from the Australian Bush Laureate Awards for the best book of original verse, at the 2004 Tamworth Country Music Festival.
His wins in bush poetry competitions include:
- The Asthma Foundation of NSW’s “Bush Poet of the Year 2001” in Sydney on 30.4.2001
- The Tenterfield Oracles of the Bush Written Section in 1999, and Original Performance Section in 2000 and 2001
- The Original Performance Section, National Bush Poetry Championship at the
Brisbane Ekka 2001 as well as wins and places in many other regional contests.
- His CDs “The Cattle Dog’s Revenge” was a finalist in the 2002 Australian Bush
Laureate Awards at Tamworth
- His CD “Dinkum Poetry” was a finalist in 2003.
- His book “The Cattle Dog’s Revenge” earned a Golden Gum Leaf Trophy at the Australian Bush Laureate Awards, Tamworth 2004 for the best book of original verse for the year.
He is a regular performer at festivals around Queensland and New South Wales including the Gympie Muster Poets Breakfast and the Tamworth Country Music Week. He performs, judges and compares at their various venues. Comedy is his forte but his occasional rendition of the old classic favourites will keep you spell bound.
Jack has done a couple of tours performing in New Zealand and his CDs and books have sold as far a-field as Britain, Canada, New Zealand, the USA as well as all over Australia. He is available to perform at functions and also to write poems to order.
His latest interesting achievement is a two volume historical work on Australia’s frontier history compared with the Wild West era in America. America’s early times have received huge publicity world wide via books and movies, but Australia equalled and in some areas surpassed their wild and woolly western history, but this has not been largely recognized. The two books set “The Wild West in Australia and America” Vol. 1 and “The Outback vs the Wild West” Vol. 2 is a joint publishing venture between Central Queensland University Press and ABC Local Radio.
“Jack Drake is one of those larger than life characters…he is an excellent showman and it is an unforgettable experience to hear him in full cry relating the escapades of the redoubtable Woody.” Bruce Simpson author of “Packhorse Drover” and other books.
“The Cattle Dog’s Revenge will remind you of Banjo Paterson’s “The Man from Ironbark”. Truly these are genuine bush ballads for genuine bush people”. The late Old Silvertail, Prof. D.Myers of CQUPress and Old Sivertail’s Outback Book Club.
“Jack Drake is everything that a good bush poet should be. He does a one-off, dead set ripper act…the language is colourful and the poems range from hilarious to the epic to the poignant. This is real authentic stuff.” Ted Egan AO.
Jack Drake's poem The Cattle Dog's Revenge
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