ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Just a small question that I have pondered.

In the bush poets we look to people like Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson, Wil Ogilvie, Patrick Hartigan, Dorthea Mackellar and C.J Dennis. We regard them as out tradition, our heritage, our inspiration.

What I have wondered is, who did they look to for their heritage, inspiration and tradition?
I think that would be very interesting to know.



Neville

Good one Neville,

I reckon, without question, these jokers had a good knowledge of British poetry. Accepted.

Also, the outlets for their writing in Australia were limited, so, thank God for The Bulletin, and other publications, which wanted to publish an Australian voice. But mainly The Bulletin, which had a keen sense of what we thought we were (as European settlers/invaders/nation builders in a difficult land/region of the world). So the poets got a go. It wouldn't be wrong to say there was a propaganda aspect to the poetry publishing at that time.

The beauty of the early Bulletin magazine was it expanded on our image of ourselves - not just recording the country's different landscape, but the inhabitants' peculiar, our, nature.


emo

Thanks Emo. Very interesting reply.

I have, as one of my treasured possessions, a copy of the 100th Anniverary Issue of The Bulletin. Published in 1980.
I found it in a book shop of second-hand books and it cost a couple fo dollars. For me it is a priceless artifact.

It contains articles about current affairs of that year , plus articles,
stories, poems and fascinating photos relating to Henry Kendall, Xavier Herbert, Gwen Harwood, Colin Thiele, Douglas Stewart, Les Murray,
A.D. Hope . J.F. Archibald, A.B.Paterson, Henry Lawson, Steele Rudd,
Dorothea Mackellar, C.J. Dennis , Patrick Hartigan, John O'Grady,
Will Ogilvie, Barcoft Boake, etc etc etc

and drawings by Ted Scorfield, David Low, Norman Lindsay, William Mcleod, Les Tanner, Victoria Roberts, George Molnar as well as George Lambert, Phil May, Livingston Hopkins, B.E. Minns, George Finey,
Jim Bancks, Percy Leason, Eric Joliffe, Bruce Petty etc etc etc


In Australia , we have an enormous and rich heritage of literature and the arts, which I think we should never forget. But at the same time we would do well to recognise the foundations of this heritage.

Like Maria sung in The Sound of Music
" Nothing comes from Nothing,
Nothing ever Could "


Neville



p.s. I met George Finey back in 1983, he was unique

Hi Neville, Dave,
It's an interesting point you raise, I always thought that one of the things that shine through to me from the likes of Bango and co. was their love of this country, They wrote of their era, an era when our national pride and identity were being formed, they started seeing us as Australians, a unique race of people in our own right, already there were rumblings about cutting the apron strings of mother England. It was a time when this nation was being forged with its growing pains and at times hardships that went with it, but overall there was this pride in being Australian. If you read the earlier Australian poets they still wrote of England and referred often to the mother country.
I have read where Lawson referred to Henry Kendal and others whom he obviously admired, but overall I think it was transitional period where this new breed looked to and studied the techniques of past poets but then evolved what we now know as Australian Poetry.
I hasten to add this is just my own theory, but it's a good subject you raise Neville.

Cheers Terry

G'day All

From the biographical and autobiographical extracts that I have read of Banjo Paterson, it appears that he was a great admirer of the writing of Adam Lindsay Gordon. One of his early racing poems had a preamble to the effect of "A long way after Gordon", which was explained in "Singer of the Bush" as meaning that Paterson thought that this piece was nowhere near as good as Gordon's.

One of his radio talks that is detailed in "Song of the Pen" talks about his admiration of the work of Rudyard Kipling. In this same talk he mentions the work of Swinburne as possibly being a step above Kipling. It appears that he took quite an interest in the works of both Australian and international poets.

Regards


John Peel

G/day Peely,
I was wandering away from the subject as usual, Lawson also referred to Gordon and others.

Terry