Results 2010
Australian National Bush Poetry Championships

The 2010 Australian National Bush Poetry
Championships
were held at the
Brothers Sports Club
130 Takalvan St
Bundaberg
Queensland
on the
9th, 10th and 11th July 2010

Cobb & Co coach driver, Steve Ralph, from the Australian Teamsters Hall of Fame near the Glasshouse Mountains in Queensland, tells a spine tingling story about ‘the black horse in the lead’ - a mysterious apparition that has been known to appear and help a team in trouble.  He experienced the unusual phenomenon near Boonah during a coach journey from Melbourne to Longreach in 1988.  He knows the story is hard to believe, yet he swears it to be true.

There was a time when rangers roamed the great Australian bush,
Their pistols at the ready, bullets blazed at trigger-push.
So shall I tell the story of the last bushrangers here?
Now gather ‘round the crackling flames,
And hear the whisper of the names,
Of men who stole and ran and shot,
Just ask and I’ll tell you the lot!
For few can still remember rangers striking us with fear.

His name was feared on highways, it was Try-To-Catch-Me Bob,
For they would never catch him with a thousand trooper mob!
He planned his thieving carefully, tomorrow, number ten.
He’d wander far to Woolway Bank,
Lieutenant Luke he’d have to thank,
For sending troopers one by one,
To fetch the new bushranger, ‘Gun’,
The coppers would be busy chasing other foolish men.

But sadly, this one copper, he was sleepin’ on the job,
He stayed behind at Woolway Bank, the ‘ranger planned to rob,
But by this copper’s side there was a vicious mongrel dog,
And as Bob pushed aside the door,
Said, “Everybody on the floor!”
Bob’s moleskins vanished fast from sight,
The canine, he began to bite!
Bob mounted ‘pon his brumby, empty-handed, through the fog.

But even Try-To-Catch-Me Bob would get caught in the end,
At number twelve the time came as he galloped past a bend,
He must’ve missed the smoke, for through a bushfire he’d run.
His clothing quickly caught alight,
He tore them off – oh what a sight!
The coppers cuffed him where he sat,
And so his naked end was that
So went the last bushranger, but another tale, begun.

Robert Rooster was a patient male chook,
He always kept calm by reading a book.
Dingo Ringo was always in strife,
He wanted to eat Robert with his new fork and knife.

One day, Ringo hid behind a tree
He was going to catch Robert Rooster, “Yippee!”
Robert Rooster turned around,
He sure knew who’d made that sound.

It was Dingo Ringo, licking his lips,
He was so excited he was shaking his hips.
Robert Rooster ran to the farm,
Clucking so loud, he was like an alarm.

The farm animals asked, “What is the matter?”
They’d never heard of such noisy natter.
Robert Rooster flew to the chooks,
He was upset that they weren’t reading books.

Dingo heard Robert and the chooks discuss the weather,
Many hundreds of chooks had gathered together.
Sly Dingo wondered how they would taste cooked,
He grabbed a hen before anyone looked.

But Robert Rooster heard a sad scream,
He got very angry, like in a bad dream.
Robert skinned Dingo Ringo with his shaver,
And as it turns out he’s become a life-saver.

What a week-end it was in Bundaberg, Queensland for the 2010 Australian Bush Poetry Championships.   Before the week-end 51 poets had registered to compete in the three categories (Traditional, Modern & Original) of the Open & Novice sections.   It was very pleasing to see two little poets in the U/8 years category and ten in the 8 years to U/16 years category.   By the time Sunday morning arrived for the duo performances, Billy Hay Memorial Yarn Spinning and the One Minute Cup over 60 poets had recited something on stage.  The youngest competitor was 6 years of age and the most senior was 83.

Poets competing came from Charters Towers in the north to Shepparton in the south.  ABPA was well represented with Manfred Vijars (President), Gregory North (Secretary), Kym Eitel (Treasurer) as well as Irene Connor the West Australian delegate all attending.  

For each of the daytime sessions over 200 people attended and were kept captivated by the excellent standard of poetry in all categories. 

Over 200 attended the Friday evening ‘Walk-Up Poetry Concert’ with Milton Taylor acting as the referee in a State of Origin poetry contest.   Team leaders for the evening were Melanie Hall for Queensland and Neil McArthur for New South Wales.  The Queensland side were victorious by a very dubious scoring system it would seem!!

Milton Taylor, Neil McArthur and Melanie Hall performed to a crowd of over 400 at ‘The Concert’ on the Saturday night.   The ‘full house’ sign went up half an hour before the start of the concert with up to 50 people missing out on what was just a terrific night of entertainment. 

To finish off a fabulous week-end of poetry and friendship more than 70 poets, family  members and friends made their way to John & Sandy Lees’ place for a sausage sizzle, chat and sing-a-long. 

A big thank-you to the competitors for their co-operation over the week-end which enabled the Championships to run smoothly.

Thanks to all who attended to make the 2010 Australian Bush Poetry  Championships a huge success.   We hope you enjoyed yourselves and we’ll catch up at some other festival down the track.  Until we meet again happy poetry days.

Sandy Lees
Championship Co-ordinator