G'day Stephen Whiteside.

[Neville Briggs]

G'day Stephen, Congratulations, you did very well at Toolangi.
I would have liked to have been there to see and hear your presentation.

I read your historic poems with great interest. I think that the history ballad still has an important place in our poetic ventures.

How's the banjo going ?

Since you are a history buff and a banjo player, do you know who was the very famous Australian historic figure who played the banjo on his days off ?

( Not A.B. Paterson )

[Bellobazza]

Initials "C.J." ?

[Neville Briggs]

Sorry Will, not him.

This bloke received a knighthood from the King, but not for his musical ability.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Sir Don Bradman?

[Zondrae]

... Blly Connelly ? No idea of the correct spelling

oh sorry you said Australian.

[Bellobazza]

G'day Nev...
C.J. may not be the bloke you had in mind, but he did dabble with the banjo (and shoulda got a gong too!)
David Low, a noted cartoonist and writer, was a long time confederate of Dennis. There is a great cartoon by Low depicting Dennis as "Den the Bush Minstrel".
Ironically, it was Low who was later knighted.

I eagerly await the revelation of your mysterious "Sir Banjo".

Cheers, Will.

[Heather]

Can we have a clue please Neville? Warmer/cooler

Was it a politician?

[Neville Briggs]

G'day folks, It was Sir Charles Kingsford- Smith , famous pioneering aviator who played the banjo. I learned that off "The Einstein Factor".

That's an interesting little snippet Will, for my collection of trivia. David Low was a great cartoonist.
Dave Emo has lent me a book about the history of Smiths Weekly which fostered some of the wonderful Australian cartoonists of the past. Sadly, Smiths Weekly didn't seem to have been interested in publishing the bush poets like The Bulletin.

It's a loss that we no longer have a public platform in the major press for Australian illustrators, jokers and folk poets. I wonder if the One Nation people would have done a lot better, if they were interested in national coherence , to have kept out of politics and put their efforts into the publishing of Aussie "grass roots " poetry, writing and graphic representation of the national spirit.
Maybe ?...maybe it wouldn't work anymore.
The cowardice of PC would kill it.

That's to-day's sermon


Neville

[Bellobazza]

Have faith Nev...
The ABPA site will one day be recognised as the cyber-space equal of the Bulletin as an incubator of bush poetry talent!

Cheers, Will.