ABPA — The Australian Bush Poets Association Inc.

Welcome to the Australian Bush Poets Association

WELCOME. Membership of the Australian Bush Poets Association (ABPA) is comprised of writers, performers and individuals who are interested in bush poetry and enjoy written and live stories in rhyme and metre. If you have an interest in this piece of Australian culture called bush poetry, you have come to the right place.

Aims
The objectives of the Australian Bush Poets Association are to foster and encourage the growth of bush poetry in Australia. By definition, Australian bush poetry is metred and rhymed poetry about Australia, Australians and/or the Australian way of life.

Membership
To join the Australian Bush Poets Association and receive our bi-monthly magazine, go to our Membership page.

The ABPA keeps in touch with its members through this website (and forum) and our bi-monthly magazine of bush poetry news, events, results of written and performance competitions as well as samples of contemporary bush poetry. Many members have books, CDs and other products. These can be advertised in the magazine. For rates, click here. The deadline for ads and other content for the magazine is the 22nd of the month preceding publication. Magazines are published at the beginning of February, April, June, August, October and December.

Check out our Facebook page.

Gympie Music Muster

Campers’ Poets Brawl

Campers’ Poets Brawl - They wrote ’em in camp, original poems and stood on stage (some for the first time) to recite their poems about The Muster, Flying Pigs, Camping Olympics, only to be gonged off if they went over 60 seconds. Our time-keepers Grace and Cody from Texas showed no mercy! Audience applause saw the winner as Kev with his humorous poem about Parkinsons Disease, which he has - and endured during his peformance. L-R - Neil, Eve, Elizabeth, Tim, Celia, Marco, Chook, Kev the winner, and Muz.

Poets Breakfasts

(L-R) Brad McLean, Errol Gray, Peter Cap, Pixie Jenkins, Marco Gliori, Muz Hartin, Neil McArthur. (Not in photo - Bob Condon Comedian). Thanks to our audience, Muster volunteers, sound and lighting engineers, stage managers and those faithful campers who mustered up each morning.

Special thanks to Colleen, Diedre, Julie, and Jenny for organizing us all. Another great Muster in 2024!

Vale John Davis

John was born in Broken Hill and spent most of his working life either on the land or working at rural pursuits from the Australian Capital Territory, Central, Northern and far Western New South Wales to Queensland’s Gulf country and the Northern Territory Barkley tablelands. From owning pastoral stations to stints of shearing, horse breaking and abattoir work to part-owning supermarkets and working in security, he fitted in a lot.

His interest in Australian Bush poetry came to the fore around 2005 when he began to write and perform. Understandably, much of John’s writing was inspired by and reflected his life in the Bush. He published two books of his poems and also produced a CD.

It is special when someone not only performs and writes themselves, but also encourages others, especially young people, to do so. For many years, John and his late wife Ruth ran an annual competition for primary school children. After Ruth’s death, John continued to organise poetry events including adult and children’s competitions as part of the Milton Agricultural Show.

John was 87 years old and passed away on 16 September. A celebration of his life will be held at 10:30 on Monday 30 September at Norwood Park Chapel in Belconnen, ACT.

Vale Shirley Friend

SHIRLEY FRIEND was everyone’s grandmother...although not everyone’s grandmother dealt so hilariously with such subjects. Her smash hit “The Mammogram”, has been praised by Women’s Breast Cancer groups for highlighting an important women’s health issue. Shirley was a surviver of breast cancer herself. If bush poetry if often thought of as bloke-dominated, Shirley certainly turned the tables as women laughed uproariously, as much amused by Shirley’s on-stage antics as they were by their squirming male partners in the seat beside them.

Her proper English delivery and sense of outraged propriety, sat in comedic juxtaposition with her subjects. Shirley and her late husband Cedric were truly beautiful people and will be missed greatly from our Bush Poets Family.

A doyen of Festivals such as Tamworth, Gympie, Woodford, Pomona and many more, she left behind a legacy of laughter, originality and love within everybody whose heart and funny bone she touched. RIP Shirley and our condolences to family and friends.

Shirley passed away on Tuesday 27 August 2024 and her life was celebrated on 5 September in Burpengary, Queensland. Shirley’s life and laughs will also be featured in the upcoming ABPA Magazine.

EKKA Bush Poetry

You may hear people running bush poetry down with words like, “They’re dead men, and women, walking”, “bush poetry is dying”, “nobody wants to hear bush poetry these days”, well guess what, that is absolutely not the case! This week the Brisbane RNA EKKA bush poetry competitions had almost doubled as the competition started. The virtual competition was amazing with almost double the number of entries. The daily shows have proven that people, young and old, love what we do! This picture shows only a third of a group of young rappers who were enthralled by the show. They laughed and sat amazed by what they saw and heard.

Delighted audience member Jay Randall with Manfred Vijars and Mick Martin who performed for the crowds on the shearers’ stand, bush poetry’s home at the EKKA.

See full competition RESULTS HERE.

Earlier in the week Gary Fogarty, Paddy O’Brien, Peter Frazer and Mick Martin made history by performing to a sold-out Tattersalls club audience in the Brisbane event. High court judges, multi-millionaires, scientists and many others dressed in “country attire” at the prestigious venue as they learned, laughed and enjoyed lots of great poetry. There is no doubt it was well received as the poets were immediately booked again for next year. Bush poetry is alive and thriving. Eat your words nay-sayers.

Past Magazines now online

The historic magazines of the ABPA from its inception in 1994 are now available here. See how we used to look!

See previously featured poets.

See previously featured achievers.