The Spoken Word in Bush Poetry

[Gary Harding]

Continuing on the subject of C. J. Dennis ...

Here from the Collection is a recording of some of Den's poems for children, recited by John Clements.

It is a 7" 33.1/3rpm LP recording of around 1962 and with a cover in good condition for display. Like much material, it is a rarity, especially in this condition.

A1 The Circus
A2 The Swagman
A3 The Ant Explorer
A4 The Traveller
B1 Triantiwontigongolope
B2 It's Raining
B3 Cuppacumalonga
B4 Bedtime

Den wrote the Sentimental Bloke, something we are desperately trying to preserve for future generations. He is likely very well known to those here.

Australian Literature and Australia's National Identity, I believe are very important.

I won't go into Den's children's writing (It is previously discussed) but this is a nice happy gem.
My own personal favourite is Den's Jim Of The Hills. It is hard to read it without getting emotional.

We have an exceptional (if not the only) Exhibition of C J Dennis, thus affording him the respect that he deserves. Forever.

I was a friend of the late Ian F. McLaren who was the bibliographer of C J Dennis. If I have not told the story of that interesting association, I must do it...
After I recited some Dennis lines (now long forgotten), he said to me "It's a good man who knows his Dennis!"

Well, "It's a good person who follows this post series!"

You must have a strong interest in Australian Literature! Hooray!

Wishing all those who follow this, and especially those who also support it with comments, a Merry and Sentimental Christmas with lots of Joy!

Gary

[Gary Harding]

From the C J Dennis Collection comes this scarce and charming LP (fortunately in excellent condition) by John Clements entitled :

Readings from C J Dennis's A Book For Kids

The cover notes are headed...

Open Letter To Mothers And Fathers Everywhere, and they conclude by saying :

"Material such as this is a delightful way of introducing our future citizens to our virile National Literature and will encourage still further their love for their native land."

John Clements was a popular reciter with a very "English" voice. Also for interest is this recently purchased Sherlock Homes 45rpm record, The Red-Headed League. It was published by The Children's Record Guild of New Zealand. Here Mr. Clements appears as the voice of Sherlock Holmes.

Also.. another favourite Spoken Word performer of mine is Orson Welles. (USA)

In this Youtube performance recorded in 1938 from the Mercury Theatre series, he has a go at doing Sherlock Holmes too ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvI6Cuu_LzU

[Gary Harding]

Christmas and New Year is always a sentimental time for me and one for contemplating.

This year in particular I have reflected on what is "a friend".

It is a word that is perhaps overused to the point where it has no precise meaning. I know the postie, who reckons he is forever delivering parcels here, and we exchange quips. But.. a friend?

You try and reconnect with People of the Past who live half a continent away and yet are more than fully occupied with their own lives which no longer intersect yours. It somehow seems a bit contrived... sad.

So how relevant are you in theirs? Friends? .. once yes in youth, when life was one big party... but now? A friend, or just a good memory to them? After all, they generally don't call you any more for a chat.

I contemplate the expressions "on good terms", and "an acquaintance" ... that is a start...and so I ask Google for help..."friend synonym" .. and confuse myself.

Acquaintance, ally, companion, partner, mate, intimate, associate, bosom buddy, companion, pal.

Nothing seems to quite fit.

And yet you truly want something far better than simply "friend" in some cases.

Perhaps Friends is a term that is so broad and all-encompassing that it is useful in a world that is verbally lazy and demands both simplicity and brevity, (at the expense of accuracy.) Everyone is a friend. There are lots of friends here on this forum .. even if invisible? Ha!

If someone is a good neighbour, what best describes them... when they have evolved into more than that?

To claim the postie is a friend is a bit presumptuous... and yet to describe others in our lives who offer all the good things such as warmth, compassion, tolerance, understanding, as friends ... is annoyingly inadequate.

This world of inter-personal relationships where we sit at the centre of a web and interact with others is complex. Each relationship, even minor ones, is different. And the generic term friend at an individual level is just inadequate. It bothers me. Relationships come in many different varieties after all... and I lack the right words to put each into its own labelled box, which is something society today in particular demands one does.

It is all a conundrum.( mystery, enigma, puzzle, riddle, problem, why, puzzlement, secret, mystification, challenge).

So for now.. I am sorry but friend will have to do. Unless anyone has other thoughts on the subject.
....

The Spoken Word.

At this sentimental time of year, the script below is taken from the back of the service program of my father's funeral. It is a short verse I wrote which was read out. (click on it to view).

I find it offers comfort and is meant to be uplifting too. At a time of year when some loved ones are not around.

It's all good basically because we are still here... hopefully for at least another year!

All the best for 2025. Gary

[Catherine Lee]

A beautiful blessing, Gary, and indeed both comforting and uplifting. Your C. J. Dennis posts have been most interesting for me to read too on this, my first quiet morning in the past week, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them. As for Friends, yes, there are certainly many levels of friendship we refer to, so I can understand what you're saying. My nomadic life has thrown a great many people into my world, and it has been wonderful, but only a handful have proved to be friends for life. I guess the generic term just seems to fit all categories, although we certainly know how to separate the levels of friendship in our own hearts and minds. Friends in Poetry are a whole different thing too, of course, and I am grateful for all those with whom I am in contact in this regard. Although we don't truly know each other in the full sense of the word insofar as living nearby or on a daily basis, our mutual love of poetry and various personal chats form a special and unique bond of friendship.

[Gary Harding]

Thank you very much Catherine, and I believe that you have summed it up perfectly. Friends in Poetry (and cyber-space) we all are here... certainly. Otherwise why would any of us spend our valuable time posting things/thoughts including our own verse. Yes, loosely bound by that common interest. All contributing to something.. and developing friendships too in the process.

A love of Australia, and the bush, etc. Exceptional!!

To continue the story ..

The Spoken Word

Here is a rare 7" 33rpm, limited-release recording again by John Clements. (I do prefer the work of Leonard Teale though). It is in very good condition.

Side One

A Bush Christening, A. B. Paterson
A Song of the Wind, Will Lawson
The Last Of His Tribe, Henry Kendall

Side Two

Chorus Frogs, A. B. Paterson
In The Droving Days, A. B. Paterson

As can be seen from this scan on my machine, it is very much an inexpensive vinyl "backyard pressing" from Western Australia with the typed-up notes pasted on to the folded sheet of paper that forms the cover. The white paper sleeve of the record is glued to the single-sheet "cover". To go to all that trouble to present five bush ballads! There was a later release of this record (still a 7" 33rpm) which included The Teams (Lawson) and The Man From Ironbark (Paterson)

A practical, vinyl record construction that I have not observed before. It is good to see vinyl making a huge comeback with young kids too.
All the good music resides there, doesn't it!?

I hope these poetry-posts are both interesting and entertaining. If so, I will continue them into 2025. Gary

[Gary Harding]

1. I note the sad passing on January 1st, 2025 of popular country singer and comedy entertainer Chad Morgan at age 91.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Morgan

It seems like Chad has been around forever. (which he has)

His track "The Sheik of Scrubby Creek" (1958 10" Columbia) was a name that stuck to him after that.
Below from my collection is the single The Sheik Goes Courting. This is the 1959 release on Columbia, but apparently the original was on Regal Zonophone in 1957.
The song also appears on his 1961 EP "Thoughts on Marriage". So this little record is around 65 years old (where does time go!!??)

Pictured below is Chad Morgan at the premiere of his I'm Not Dead Yet in June 2011. (Pic Eva Rinaldi). Interesting.


2. However what is generally not known is that his brother Boof Morgan was out of the same mould!

Boof (Born Gympie 1938) was also a character.. and a lovely bloke too! Five years younger than Chad and really good musically.

Here is his single record entitled... Boof Morgan. Yes, he looks like a "yobbo" but then note his 12-string guitar. He is said to have written over 200 songs ... plus he also won the 1978 Barcoo Bush Ballad Songwriters Award. No slouch!

Side One : Harry Butler (a topical humorous song about the wildlife guru of the time, and Australian of the Year 1980)
Side Two : The Amateur Pug (a punch-drunk 40 year old)

Pictured below is Boof's record which he very kindly inscribed to me around that time.

"Best Wishes Gary, Boof"

[Shelley Hansen]

The only bloke who could eat an apple through a tennis racket!

He certainly was one of a kind.

Great memorabilia, Gary.

[Gary Harding]

Thanks Shelley. I never met Chad but his brother was a character and talented too....

But I have to say I don't actually regard any of this material, including the displays dedicated to individual bush poets, as memorabilia.

Rather they are important pieces in a big jigsaw that when completed will present the picture of Australia's Culture and National Identity. Eight years of near full-time work, so far.

It was said to me... "Yer a hero to do all this mate..."

I consider it an honour to be a part of saving Australia's history and culture. In a Real way.

Attempting to bring it all to the public for them to love and appreciate. To make up for where education at school is lacking. Leading kids to a love of their country. To show overseas tourists WHO we are.

And I have been particularly fortunate to meet some of the absolute Best people... on this forum ... and in the wide world too. A cherished and unexpected benefit. Gary

[Gary Harding]

This is our presentation of The Flour Bin, a poem by Henry Lawson.

For more visual detail, click on the picture below.

The booklet is inscribed by Walter Stone, "For D. A Davie from Walter Stone 1955" and was a giveaway at the Annual Dinner of The Book Collectors' Society of Australia held on 2nd December 1955, at Sydney. It celebrated their 19th anniversary. (The small booklet probably(?) valued $75 - $95)

He published his first books (this one included) using a hand press in a shed in the back yard of his Cremorne home, under the imprint of Talkarra of which this little stapled book is one of only 100 copies! Wow!

This Lawson poem was first published in the "Mudgee Guardian" and, later, in the "Sunday Sun", Sydney.

Walter Stone PART 1

Walter Stone was a distinguished person in Australian Literary Circles and a passionate supporter of Australian Literature.
He was a Bibliophile. That means "a person who collects or has a great love of books." I do that too.. but don't especially go for that label in this age. People can get words confused.

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/stone- ... liam-15729

Among his many publications was The World of Henry Lawson, and this ...

HENRY LAWSON. A Chronological Checklist of his Contributions to "The Bulletin". 1887 - 1924.

My own handy copy (pictured, No. 34 of only 70 copies) is notated by Walter Stone to Emeritus Professor John Barnes (1931- 2023) making it very special to me. (see pic)

https://www.asal.org.au/vale/vale-emeri ... 1931-2023/

These past bibliophiles are (or rather were) greats in Australian Literature when you see what they individually contributed! Real literary "heavies". I would love to have met them but they are all dead, through no fault of their own of course. Time simply caught up with each one. You are hardly likely to see a 132 year-old Jack Moir for example walking down the street.

[Gary Harding]

Walter Stone Part 1 (cont)

As often happens, one can be pleasantly surprised when a book is opened to reveal a contemporary newspaper cutting.

In this case someone, and I presume John Barnes, cut the relevant piece from the Adelaide Bulletin of the time 27/10/54 and meticulously included it in his (above) book of Lawson Bibliography. Its condition is such that it could have been cut from the paper yesterday and one handles the cutting in a way that avoids getting finger acid/sweat on it.

I include it in particular for the more serious student of Henry Lawson who likes to see Henry's writing within the contextual picture-frame of his life. It is a bit of a book review too.
I guess it would be only of passing interest to most.. including myself. (I am far more interested in enjoying his actual writing than the rest).

I will include it just for the record.