OZ VERNACULAR

(Mainly for overseas readers. It is also a segue for tomorrow's Bytes).

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BILLABONG:

A cut-off meander bend of a river, formed most commonly when floodwaters createa new straighter channel.

The word comes from the south-western New South Wales Aboriginal language Wiradjuri: bila ‘river’ + bang (a suffix probably indicating a continuation in time or space, or functioning), the combination signifying a watercourse that runs only after rain. First recorded in the 1830s.

1861 Burke & Wills, Exploring Expedition:

At the end of a very long waterhole, it breaks into billibongs, which continue splitting into sandy channels until they are all lost in the earthy soil.

A billabong

Banjo Paterson's popular song "Waltzing Matilda" is set beside a billabong.

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BILLY:

A vessel for the boiling of water, making of tea, etc., over an open fire; a cylindrical container, usually of tin, enamel ware, or aluminium, fitted with a lid and a wire handle.

It comes from the Scottish dialect word billy-pot meaning ‘cooking utensil’. Possibly reinforced by bouilli tin (recorded 1858 in Australia and 1852 in New Zealand, with variant bully tin recorded in New Zealand in 1849 but not until 1920 in Australia), an empty tin that had contained preserved boeuf bouilli 'bully beef', used as a container for cooking.

It is not, as popularly thought, related to the Aboriginal word billabong. Billy is first recorded in the 1840s.

1859 W. Burrows, Adventures of a Mounted Trooper in the Australian Constabulary:

A 'billy' is a tin vessel, something between a saucepan and a kettle, always black outside from being constantly on the fire, and looking brown inside from the quantity of tea that is generally to be seen in it.

 

The Jolly Swagman in Winton; the town made famous by the Waltzing Matilda song. Note the billy next to him.

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DAMPER:

Damper is a thick home-made bread traditionally prepared by early European settlers in Australia. It is a bread made from wheat-based dough, flour, salt and water, with some butter if available, is kneaded and baked in the coals of a campfire, either directly or within a camp oven. I used to make it to go with lamb stew. Can’t beat it.

Etymology

The word "damper" originated as a specific use of the British word "damper", meaning "something that takes the edge off the appetite". There was likely also some influence from the phrase "damp down" as in "to damp down a fire".

When cooked as smaller, individually-sized portions, the damper may be known as "bush scones" or "johnnycakes" (also "johnny cakes").

Damper was eaten by stockmen who travelled in remote areas for long periods, with only basic rations of flour (much less bulky than baked bread), sugar and tea, supplemented by whatever meat was available. It was also a basic provision of squatters.

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BUNYIP

An amphibious monster supposed to inhabit inland waterways. Descriptions of it vary greatly. Some give it a frightful human head and an animal body. Many descriptions emphasise its threat to humans and its loud booming at night. It inhabits inland rivers, swamps, and billabongs. The word comes from the Aboriginal Wathaurong language of Victoria. Bunyip is first recorded in the 1840s.

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BACKSTORIES - NATIONAL ANTHEMS

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LA MARCELLAISE:

"La Marseillaise"is the national anthem of France. It was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by the First French Republic against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin". The song acquired its nickname after being sung in Paris by Fédéré (volunteers) from Marseille marching to the capital.

The French National Convention adopted it as the First Republic's anthem in 1795.

The anthem, a response to Prussian and Austrian invasion, contains verses such as:

Verse 1:

Let's go children of the fatherland,

The day of glory has arrived!

Against us tyranny's

Bloody flag is raised! (repeat)

In the countryside, do you hear

The roaring of these fierce soldiers?

They come right to our arms

To slit the throats of our sons, our friends!

Refrain:

Grab your weapons, citizens!

Form your battalions!

Let us march! Let us march!

May impure blood

Water our fields!

Verse 2:

This horde of slaves, traitors, plotting kings,

What do they want?

For whom these vile shackles,

These long-prepared irons? (repeat)

Frenchmen, for us, oh! what an insult!

What emotions that must excite!

It is us that they dare to consider

Returning to ancient slavery!

The full version features seven verses – but at most sporting events, teams tend to sing just the first verse and chorus.

"The Departure of the volunteers of 1792" (a.k.a. La Marseillaise), sculpture on the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile, Paris, France.

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STAR SPANGLED BANNER:

"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large U.S. flag, with 15 stars and 15 stripes, known as the Star-Spangled Banner, flying triumphantly above the fort after the battle.

In the middle of the conflict between the British and the Americans was the Battle of Baltimore. The battle took place on both sea and land from September 12 to September 14, 1814. The main defense of the city, Fort McHenry, sat just south of the city's harbor. The harbor itself was blocked by scuttled craft and a very big chain. As lawyer Francis Scott Key watched from a nearby American ship on September 13, British forces attempted to break through by bombarding the fort.

After 25 hours of artillery fire, Key was astonished to see that the fort was still intact and flying the American flag. He was so inspired by his experience that he wrote a set of lyrics that eventually became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a social club in London. Smith's song, "To Anacreon in Heaven" (or "The Anacreontic Song"), with various lyrics, was already popular in the United States. This setting, renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner", soon became a popular patriotic song. With a range of 19 semitones, it is known for being very difficult to sing, in part because the melody sung today is the soprano part. Although the poem has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today with the second to fourth being rarely sung.

Verse 1:

O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

"The Star-Spangled Banner" was first recognised for official use by the United States Navy in 1889. On March 3, 1931, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution making the song the official national anthem of the United States, which President Herbert Hoover signed into law.

The large Star Spangled Banner Flag that inspired the lyrics of the US national anthem when it flew above Fort McHenry in the 1814 Battle of Baltimore. Shown here on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of History and Technology, around 1964. Many pieces were cut off the flag and given away as souvenirs early during its history. A linen backing, attached in 1914, shows the original extent of the flag.

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GOD SAVE THE KING:

"God Save the King" (alternatively "God Save the Queen" when the British monarch is female) is the de facto national anthem of the United Kingdom, one of two national anthems of New Zealand, and the royal anthem of the Isle of Man, Canada and some other Commonwealth realms. The author of the tune is unknown but an attribution to the composer John Bull has sometimes been made.

Beyond its first verse, which is consistent, "God Save the King" has many historic and various versions. Since its first publication, different verses have been added and taken away and, even today, different publications include various selections of verses in various orders In general, only one verse is sung.

The entire composition is the musical salute for the British monarch and royal consort, while other members of the royal family who are entitled to royal salute (such as the Prince of Wales, along with his spouse) receive just the first six bars.

Verse 1:

God save our gracious King,

Long live our noble King,

God save the King!

Send him victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us,

God save the King !

Verse 2:

O Lord our God arise,

Scatter our* enemies,

And make them fall!

Confound their politics,

Frustrate their knavish tricks,

On Thee our hopes we fix,

God save us all!

In countries not part of the British Empire, the tune of "God Save the King" has provided the basis for various patriotic songs, ones generally connected with royal ceremony. The melody is used for the national anthem of Liechtenstein, "Oben am jungen Rhein"; the royal anthem of Norway, "Kongesangen"; and the American patriotic song "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" (also known as "America").

England has no official national anthem of its own; "God Save the King" is treated as the English national anthem when England is represented at sporting events (though there are some exceptions to this rule, such as cricket where "Jerusalem" is used).

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ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR:

Advance Australia Fair" is the national anthem of Australia. Written by Scottish-born Australian composer Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed as a patriotic song in Australia in 1878.

It replaced "God Save the Queen" as the official national anthem by the Whitlam government in 1974, following an indicative opinion survey. The subsequent Fraser government reinstated "God Save the Queen" as the national anthem in January 1976 alongside three other "national songs": "Advance Australia Fair", "Waltzing Matilda" and "Song of Australia".

Later in 1977 a plebiscite to choose the "national song" preferred "Advance Australia Fair". This was subsequently proclaimed the national anthem in 1984 by the Hawke government. "God Save the Queen" became the royal anthem (later "God Save the King" on the accession of King Charles III), and is used at public engagements attended by the King or members of the royal family.

The lyrics of the 1984 version of "Advance Australia Fair" were significantly modified from McCormick's original, only retaining a now gender neutral version of the first verse and using a second verse first sung in 1901 at Federation. In January 2021, the official lyrics were changed once again, in recognition of the long habitation of Indigenous Australians.

Verse 1:

Australians all let us rejoice,

For we are one and free;

We've golden soil and wealth for toil,

Our home is girt by sea;

Our land abounds in Nature's gifts

Of beauty rich and rare;

In history's page, let every stage

Advance Australia fair!

In joyful strains then let us sing,

Advance Australia fair!

Changes:

- When I was young the opening words were “Australia’s sons let us rejoice . . . “, now “Australians all . . . “

- The words “we are one and free” were originally “we are young and free”, changed to reflect long time indigenous habitation of the land.

The fourth line of the anthem, "our home is girt by sea", has been criticised for using the archaic word "girt". It means surrounded, as someone has pointed out, could you imagine the police telling a crim "Come out, we have you girted."

Additionally, the lyrics and melody of the Australian national anthem have been criticised as being dull and unendearing to the Australian people. National Party senator Sandy Macdonald said in 2001 that "'Advance Australia Fair' is so boring that the nation risks singing itself to sleep, with boring music and words impossible to understand". In 2011, former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett called for "I Am Australian" to become Australia's national anthem.

In his paper How Fair is Fair: The Colour of Justice in Australia's official anthem, writer and academic, Christopher Kelen argues that the kind of 'fairness' being repeated with every rendition of the chorus is specifically about the civilising process of the white man. Kelen suggests that either use of the word 'fair'; beautiful, just or white, the main point the song makes by 'rejoicing' the advancement of Australia is one of the Terra Nullius myth, where we don't want to acknowledge a time before our European coming.

POETRY SPOT

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Corny Bill

- Henry Lawson

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Some preliminary comments:

This poem by Henry Lawson was published in In the Days When the World Was Wide and Other Verses, 1896.

From:

https://allpoetry.com/Corny-Bill

This nostalgic ballad celebrates a humble swagman named Corny Bill, recalling their shared experiences of hardship and camaraderie. Lawson's language is unadorned, capturing the earthy vernacular of the bush.

Compared to Lawson's other works, "Corny Bill" is a more lighthearted and affectionate portrayal of a stock character, replacing the often harsh and unforgiving depiction of life on the wallaby. However, the poem still reflects the era's social stratification, where itinerant workers like Bill are often marginalised.

The poem's informal tone and conversational style distinguish it from the more traditional and elevated poetic conventions of the time. It offers a glimpse into the lives of those often overlooked, providing a poignant and authentic tribute to the spirit of mateship and resilience.

Terminology:

Corny: coming from Cornwall, England

Clays: clay pipes

Wallaby: “on the wallaby” means to travel the outback as a swaggie or sundowner (tramp and casual workers). “on the wallaby track” and “hump the drum” mean the same thing. ‘On the wallaby track’ is often shortened to ‘on the wallaby’, meaning wandering about on foot, whether in search of work or otherwise.

Drum: The swag carried on one’s back with one’s belongings, the travelling with one being to hump one’s drum. Also known as a bluey and as Matilda.  hence waltzing Matilda meant to ttrvel by foot carring ones belongings in a rolled up blanket on one's back.

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A sung version:

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

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Corny Bill

- Henry Lawson

His old clay pipe stuck in his mouth,

His hat pushed from his brow,

His dress best fitted for the South --

I think I see him now;

And when the city streets are still,

And sleep upon me comes,

I often dream that me an' Bill

Are humpin' of our drums.

I mind the time when first I came

A stranger to the land;

And I was stumped, an' sick, an' lame

When Bill took me in hand.

Old Bill was what a chap would call

A friend in poverty,

And he was very kind to all,

And very good to me.

We'd camp beneath the lonely trees

And sit beside the blaze,

A-nursin' of our wearied knees,

A-smokin' of our clays.

Or when we'd journeyed damp an' far,

An' clouds were in the skies,

We'd camp in some old shanty bar,

And sit a-tellin' lies.

Though time had writ upon his brow

And rubbed away his curls,

He always was -- an' may be now --

A favourite with the girls;

I've heard bush-wimmin scream an' squall --

I've see'd 'em laugh until

They could not do their work at all,

Because of Corny Bill.

He was the jolliest old pup

As ever you did see,

And often at some bush kick-up

They'd make old Bill M.C.

He'd make them dance and sing all night,

He'd make the music hum,

But he'd be gone at mornin' light

A-humpin' of his drum.

Though joys of which the poet rhymes

Was not for Bill an' me,

I think we had some good old times

Out on the wallaby.

I took a wife and left off rum,

An' camped beneath a roof;

But Bill preferred to hump his drum

A-paddin' of the hoof.

The lazy, idle loafers what

In toney houses camp

Would call old Bill a drunken sot,

A loafer, or a tramp;

But if the dead should ever dance --

As poets say they will --

I think I'd rather take my chance

Along of Corny Bill.

His long life's-day is nearly o'er,

Its shades begin to fall;

He soon must mount his bluey for

The last long tramp of all;

I trust that when, in bush an' town,

He's lived and learnt his fill,

They'll let the golden slip-rails down

For poor old Corny Bill.

REMEMBERING HEROES

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The stories behind the names on the signs at the rest stops on the Remembrance Driveway, which goes from Sydney to Canberra.

The highway commemorates persons awarded the Victoria Cross by naming rest stops after them.

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The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces

The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War.

In 1991 the Victoria Cross for Australia was created, so that the VC no longer needed to be awarded by the British monarch. The Victoria Cross for Australia is the "decoration for according recognition to persons who in the presence of the enemy, perform acts of the most conspicuous gallantry, or daring or pre-eminent acts of valour or self-sacrifice or display extreme devotion to duty". Awards are granted by the Governor-General with the approval of the Sovereign.

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Charles Anderson VC (1897-1988)

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Location of rest stop:

Federal Highway, Lake George, ACT

By the way # 1:

There is a further memorial at Anderson VC rest stop:

Mrs Hope Lynch, Mr John Lynch, their daughters Brenda aged 12 and Christine aged 5, Mr Lynch’s niece Rae Lee, aged 12, and Father Lloyd Reynolds of Catholic Presbytery, Queanbeyan attempted to cross Lake George in a 3.35m/11 foot plywood skiff, with a quarter tank of petrol in windy, rough conditions. The Coroner described the attempt as foolhardy. Father Lloyd Reynolds of the Catholic Presbytery, Queanbeyan was the only survivor.

The Coroner pointed out that this was the second case within two years where five people had lost their lives in one boating tragedy, stating it should serve as a warning to isolated small boats using the lake. 5 Royal Military College cadets lost their lives in 1956 when two sailing boats capsized. The Lynch family and guests had travelled to the other side of the lake for a picnic. When the weather turned, they decided to return to the original side. Inspecting the tank, they found only a quarter tank of petrol. They decided to row until there was a need to turn on the motor. The conditions became so rough after a short time that they elected to return to side they had just left. The motor refused to start and the boat filled with water. Mrs Lynch and Christine could not swim. Father Reynolds was left with the three children clinging to the overturned skiff, he eventually deciding to try to swim to shore to summon help. He made it, ran 2.4 kilometres / 1.5 miles to a house and obtained assistance.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/91247525

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/91255067

By the way #2:

Lake George doesn’t always have water, it fills and empties periodically. This is another view of Lake George from the Anderson VC rest stop when Lake George was empty:

Studies have proven that the shallow lake – 6m at its deepest and with an average depth of 2.5m when full – fills and empties as a result of rainfall and evaporation.

Governor Macquarie named the “noble expanse of water” after the reigning monarch King George IV. There is now a move to refer to the lake by its Indigenous name of Weereewaa, which, according to Ngambri elder Shane Mortimer, means “place of many migratory birds”.

By the way #3:

Not every VC recipient has a rest stop named after him on the Remembrance Highway. The rest stops honour 24 Australian World War II and Vietnam War Victoria Cross recipients, selected to represent all servicemen and women.

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Charles Anderson:

About:

After growing up in Africa and being schooled in England, Anderson served as an officer during the East African campaign against the Germans during the First World War, reaching the rank of captain and being awarded the Military Cross.

After the war, Anderson settled as a farmer in Kenya. In the early 1930s, he married an Australian woman and later moved to Australia, where he became a grazier.

In 1939, he joined the Militia, Australia's part-time military force, before volunteering for overseas service after the outbreak of the Second World War. In early 1941, he was deployed to Malaya as part of the 8th Division, where he rose to command the 2/19th Battalion against the Japanese following their invasion of Malaya in December of that year.

He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his service there in 1942.

Anderson was captured after the fall of Singapore in 1942 after taking part in its defence and spent over three years in Japanese captivity, before being released at the end of the war.

In the post-war years, Anderson returned to farming and served as a federal parliamentarian, representing the Division of Hume twice between 1949 and 1961, before retiring. He died in Canberra at the age of 91.

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Citation for VC:

Charles Anderson VC

NX 12595 Lieutenant Colonel Charles Groves Wright ANDERSON MC

2/19th Australian Infantry Battalion, A.I.F.

18th to 22nd January 1942 in Malaya

"During operations in Malaya from 18th to 22nd January, 1942, Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson, in command of a small force, was sent to restore a vital position and to assist a Brigade. His force destroyed ten enemy tanks. When later cut off, he defeated persistent attacks on his position from air and ground forces and forced his way through the enemy line to a depth of fifteen miles. He was again surrounded and subjected to very heavy, frequent attacks, resulting in severe casualties to his force. He personally led an attack with great gallantry on the enemy, who were holding a bridge, and succeeded in destroying four guns. Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson, throughout all this fighting, protected his wounded and refused to leave them. He obtained news by wireless of the enemy position and attempted to fight his way back through eight miles of enemy occupied country. This proved to be impossible, and the enemy were holding too strong a position for any attempt to be made to relieve him. On 19th January, Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson was ordered to destroy his equipment and make his way as best he could around the enemy position.

Throughout the fighting, which lasted for four days, he set a magnificent example of brave leadership, determination and outstanding courage. He not only showed fighting qualities of very high order but throughout exposed himself to danger without any regard for his own personal safety".

[London Gazette: 13th February 1942]

By the way #4:

During the action for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross, Anderson had tried to evacuate the wounded by using an ambulance, but the Japanese would not let the vehicles pass the bridge.

Although the detachment attempted to fight its way through another eight miles (13 km) of enemy-occupied territory to Yong Peng, this proved impossible, and Anderson had to destroy his equipment and attempted to work his way around the enemy. Anderson then ordered every able man to escape through the jungle to link up with the retreating main force in Yong Peng heading for Singapore. They had no choice but to leave the wounded to be cared for by the enemy, assuming the Japanese would take care of the wounded. However the Japanese unit at Parit Sulong later executed the approximately 150 wounded Australian and Indian soldiers next to the bridge of Parit Sulong, in the Parit Sulong Massacre.

General Takuma Nishimura of the Imperial Japanese Army, who was tried and hanged by Australia in relation to the massacre in 1951.

By the way #5:

In the above battle:

At one point in the conflict, Anderson led an attack himself and led his forces in a mad, headlong scramble straight at the enemy. He was singing “Waltzing Matilda” while he personally took out two machine gun posts with his pistol and a few grenades. And on more than a few occasions the Australian was responsible for gruesome hand-to-hand fighting and bayonet charges to clear the way for his men to advance.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/lieutenant-colonel-took.html

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Gallery:

OLD TIME COUNTRY HALLS

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I have a tremendous respect for the late Slim Dusty, who made a point of bringing music to the folk of the outback, even if it meant singing in tents and from the backs of trucks.

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From Wikipedia:

Slim (1927 – 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon, referred to universally as Australia's King of Country Music and one of the country's most awarded stars, with a career spanning nearly seven decades and producing numerous recordings. He was known to record songs in the legacy of Australia, particularly of bush life and renowned Australian bush poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson that represented the lifestyle. The music genre was coined the "bush ballad", a style first made popular by Buddy Williams, the first artist to perform the genre in Australia, and also for his many trucking songs.

Slim Dusty:

- released more than a hundred albums, selling more than seven million records and earning over 70 gold and platinum album certifications

- was the first Australian to have a No. 1 international hit song, with a version of Gordon Parsons' "A Pub with No Beer"

- received 38 Golden Guitar and an Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) award

- was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and Australian Roll of Renown

- at the time of his death, at the age of 76, had been working on his 106th album for EMI Records

- during his lifetime, was considered an Australian National Treasure

- performed "Waltzing Matilda" at the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

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The following link is to a clip of Slim Dusty singing about the disappearing old time country halls, - take the time to have a look and listen, the images are poignant:

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

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Lyrics:

As I pick up my guitar to sing another song

I hear the walls of this old hall - you've done this thing too long

You know you've been around for years, I guess you've shown us all

I talk like this when I reminisce with an old time country hall

I joined a tent show as a kid with a dream and an old guitar

The Silvers All-Star Cavalcade and Dandy was the star

He taught me lots about the game, today I understand

He was a great magician, Dandy was a fine old man

I'm a howlin' cattle-hand crooner

I'm an old time dinosaur

Hey, let me sing where the rafters ring

In an old time country hall, that's right

I've been on the road for thirty years but Dandy could double that

And you'll find his faded poster still in some hall way out back

I like to go back stage and dream sometimes and just recall

The shows I've had, the good and bad, shared with these country halls

Take the old Town Hall Kalgoorlie with it's old time charm and grace

And your mounting million complexes never will replace

All glass and steal and concrete, some large and some too small

So let me sing where the rafters ring in an old time country hall, hey

We showed last night in the school of arts and the town was real run-down

You'll find so many towns like that today as you move around

Yeah, the wind of change is blowin' up such an economic low

The old time shows we used to know will soon be off the road

I'm a howlin' cattle-hand crooner

I'm an old time dinosaur

Hey, let me sing where the rafters ring

In an old time country hall

In an old time country hall

In an old time country hall

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Some YouTube reader comments at the above video:

This song could never get old

I'm glad I grew up listening to slim dusty thank you Dad for making me listening this legend

Legend! Respect for this music art of yours! RIP mate.

God bless you slim, soundtrack of my childhood and every road trip of my life. Hope your resting in peace old timer

Another era? Some songs never age. Dinosaur

What a song

SONG SPOT: THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

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Song:

The Biggest Disappointment

- Slim Dusty

- Joy McKean

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Video:

Slim and Joy:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=The+Biggest+Disappointment+video&view=detail&mid=6A594F35DAEFE03395A66A594F35DAEFE03395A6&FORM=VIRE0&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dThe%2bBiggest%2bDisappointment%2bvideo%26qs%3dn%26form%3dQBRE%26sp%3d-1%26pq%3dthe%2bbiggest%2bdisappointment%2bvideo%26sc%3d8-32%26sk%3d%26cvid%3d07D63EB881864865A38ADB3AC69B801D%26ghsh%3d0%26ghacc%3d0%26ghpl%3d

Also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUDWvZJw6sw

Troy Cassar Daly:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=The+Biggest+Disappointment+troy&&view=detail&mid=9B9E3FF3C40417C312D49B9E3FF3C40417C312D4&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DThe%2520Biggest%2520Disappointment%2520troy%26qs%3Dn%26form%3DQBVR%26%3D%2525eManage%2520Your%2520Search%2520History%2525E%26sp%3D-1%26pq%3Dthe%2520biggest%2520disappointment%2520troy%26sc%3D0-31%26sk%3D%26cvid%3D71EE052015024B479D09E00EE17FEB0A%26ghsh%3D0%26ghacc%3D0%26ghpl%3D

Also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew2QeVT4CsI

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Lyrics:

They had my future wrapped up in a parcel

And no one even thought of asking me

The day I turned 15, I caught the mail train

To find what else might be in life for me

I rode on trucks and trains and lived on nothin'

Served me right for wanting to be free

Ah well, that's the way society looked at it

But it didn't seem to be that way to me

And the biggest disappointment in the family was me

The only twisted branch upon our good old family tree

I just couldn't be the person they expected me to be

And the biggest disappointment in the world was me

A lot more dinner times than there were dinners

I learned a lot that hurt me at the time

Then this quiet country boy went home a different man

With a memory of distance on my mind

But I always spoke too loud and laughed too often

Maybe drank too many glasses down

And perhaps my clothes were older than I realised

A relief to all concerned when I left town

And the biggest disappointment in the family was me

The only twisted branch upon our good old family tree

I just couldn't be the person they expected me to be

And the biggest disappointment in the world was me

And the biggest disappointment in the family was me

The only twisted branch upon our good old family tree

I just couldn't be the person they expected me to be

And the biggest disappointment in the world was me

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Joy and Slim:

The song was written by Joy McKean and made famous by her husband, Slim Dusty.

Joy McKean:

Joy McKean OAM, (born 14 January 1930), is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and wife and manager of the late Slim Dusty. Known as the "grand lady" of Australian country music, McKean is recognised as one of Australia's leading songwriters and bush balladeers and wrote several of Dusty's most popular songs. In 1973, she was awarded the first ever Golden Guitar, for writing "Lights on the Hill". She was inducted into the Australian Roll of Renown in 1983. The 2020 documentary film Slim and I told the story of her life and musical partnership with Dusty. The McKean-Dusty musical partnership produced over 100 albums, sold eight million records in Australia alone, and earned 45 Golden Guitars.

McKean was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1991 for "service to the entertainment industry".

McKean is one of the founders of the Tamworth Country Music Festival and the Country Music Association of Australia, and is also a biographer ("Slim Dusty: Another Day, Another Town"). McKean is Chair of the Slim Dusty Foundation Ltd, the organisation established to build and operate the Slim Dusty Centre in Slim's home town of Kempsey, NSW. The centre opened in October 2015.

Film critic Paul Byrnes wrote:

"Kriv Stenders (Red Dog) gives us a loving portrait of one of the most important songwriters this country has produced – and it’s not Slim Dusty. Aficionados already knew Joy McKean wrote many of her husband’s best songs – in particular, Lights on the Hill and The Biggest Disappointment. Slim and I makes clear that she also kept the Slim Dusty Show on the road, managed the band, raised the kids and kept her husband from straying too far from the path of righteousness... ".

Slim Dusty:

Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 1927 – 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars, with a career spanning nearly seven decades and producing numerous recordings. He was known to record songs in the legacy of Australia, particularly of bush life and renowned Australian bush poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson that represented the lifestyle. The music genre was coined the "bush ballad", a style first made popular by Buddy Williams, the first artist to perform the genre in Australia, and also for his many trucking songs.

Slim Dusty "released more than a hundred albums, selling more than seven million records and earning over 70 gold and platinum album certifications". He was the first Australian to have a No. 1 international hit song, with a version of Gordon Parsons' "A Pub with No Beer". He received 38 Golden Guitar and an Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) award. He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and Australian Roll of Renown. At the time of his death, at the age of 76, Dusty had been working on his 106th album for EMI Records. In 2007, his domestic record sales in Australia surpassed seven million. During his lifetime, Dusty was considered an Australian National Treasure. He performed "Waltzing Matilda", a very famous song in Australia, at the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

What I especially respect is that Slim, Joy and accompanying performers delighted in their country tiring, taking shows to areas and people that often had no facilities or large entry fees, playing in tents and from the back of flatbed trucks.

The song:

The lyrics of The Biggest Disappointment begin 

"They had my future wrapped up in a parcel And no one even thought of asking me" and the song progresses to tell the story of a "quiet country boy" who leaves home to follow his dreams, only to face "a lot more dinner times than there were dinners" as he tries to live on nothing, becoming "the biggest disappointment" to his family.

Joy McKean has revealed that she wrote it about Dusty's own experiences in early life, and that he believed it was the best song she ever wrote.

It has been covered by artists including Missy Higgins, Troy Cassar-Daley, Beccy Cole, and Gina Jeffreys.

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SEZ YOU, HENRY LAWSON

 

Australia has two unofficial poet laureates: Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson.

Paterson (1864 – 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author who is known for works such as "Clancy of the Overflow" , "The Man from Snowy River" (1890) and "Waltzing Matilda" (1895), regarded widely as Australia's unofficial national anthem. His poems are frequently jolly, positive and amusing.

Lawson (1867 – 1922) was also an Australian writer and bush poet but struggled much more with life than Paterson. He wrote prolifically into the 1890s, after which his output declined, in part due to struggles with alcoholism and mental illness. At times destitute, he spent periods in Darlinghurst Gaol and psychiatric institutions and died in 1922 following a cerebral haemorrhage. His works are often bleak and dark, with hostility towards oppression of the poor and dispossessed.

The following is an example. . . 

Sez You

- Henry Lawson

When the heavy sand is yielding backward from your blistered feet,

And across the distant timber you can SEE the flowing heat;

When your head is hot and aching, and the shadeless plain is wide,

And it’s fifteen miles to water in the scrub the other side

Don’t give up, don’t be down-hearted, to a man’s strong heart be true!

Take the air in through your nostrils, set your lips and see it through

For it can’t go on for ever, and `I’ll have my day!’ says you.

When you’re camping in the mulga, and the rain is falling slow,

While you nurse your rheumatism ‘neath a patch of calico;

Short of tucker or tobacco, short of sugar or of tea,

And the scrubs are dark and dismal, and the plains are like a sea;

Don’t give up and be down-hearted to the soul of man be true!

Grin! if you’ve a mate to grin for, grin and jest and don’t look blue;

For it can’t go on for ever, and `I’ll rise some day,’ says you.

When you’ve tramped the Sydney pavements till you’ve counted all the flags,

And your flapping boot-soles trip you, and your clothes are mostly rags,

When you’re called a city loafer, shunned, abused, moved on, despised

Fifty hungry beggars after every job that’s advertised

Don’t be beaten! Hold your head up! To your wretched self be true;

Set your pride to fight your hunger! Be a MAN in all you do!

For it cannot last for ever `I will rise again!’ says you.

When you’re dossing out in winter, in the darkness and the rain,

Crouching, cramped, and cold and hungry ‘neath a seat in The Domain,

And a cloaked policeman stirs you with that mighty foot of his

`Phwat d’ye mane? Phwat’s this?

Who are ye? Come, move on git out av this!’

Don’t get mad; ’twere only foolish; there is nought that you can do,

Save to mark his beat and time him find another hole or two;

But it can’t go on for ever `I’ll have money yet!’ says you.

Bother not about the morrow, for sufficient to the day

Is the evil (rather more so). Put your trust in God and pray!

Study well the ant, thou sluggard. Blessed are the meek and low.

Ponder calmly on the lilies how they idle, how they grow.

A man’s a man! Obey your masters! Do not blame the proud and fat,

For the poor are always with them, and they cannot alter that.

Lay your treasures up in Heaven cling to life and see it through!

For it cannot last for ever `I shall die some day,’ says you.

AUSTRALIAN FOLK SONGS: LAZY HARRY’S

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A country’s folk songs, dating from before mass communications and often from areas and situations of isolation, whether in the country, onboard ship, on the goldfields and so on, frequently record in song such things as events, people, feelings, opinions and culture. They can be more than just a rollicking good, traditional song – often they are a glimpse of the past, an insight into a different era, lifestyle, hardship and people. They will also show how far we have travelled. Perhaps in 200 years songs about Covid will have developed the status of folk songs.

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The Song:

Australia has its own songs that parallel those of the US where the drovers hit town at the end of bringing in a herd, used their money on alcohol and women, ended up broke and set off to the next herd. The difference in Oz is that instead of drovers we had shearers, the end of the line was not the herd at market but the end of the shearing season and instead of Dodge or Abilene, we have Gundagai and Bathurst.

Why so many songs about Gundagai?

Gundagai is located 390 kilometres (240 mi) south-west of Sydney and is virtually only a fly speck on the map of NSW, with a population of 1,925 according to the 2016 census. It is known for its tourist attraction of the dog sitting on the tucker box (tucker = food; tucker box = food box) and the background to that story and image have been visited before in Bytes:

http://bytesdaily.blogspot.com/2010/08/gundagai-and-dog-sitting-on-tuckerbox.html

The statue of the dog sitting on the tucker box, at Gundagai

The story is worth reading, click on the link above.

Sheridan Street, Gundagai, 2019

So why so many songs about Gundagai . . .

Five Miles from Gundagai (aka Lazy Harry’s)

Nine Miles from Gundagai

Flash Jack from Gundagai

The Road to Gundagai

The late and great Australian folk singer Gary Shearston says of the song Lazy Harry:

Maybe this one explains why Gundagai is mentioned so often in the songs of the Riverina shearers. It was a town they had to come through on the way to Sydney from many parts of the Riverina; and maybe a lot of them set off with Sydney in their eye, but found the girls and the beer in Gundagai too tempting.

Source: http://www.garyshearston.com/html/springtime_notes4.html

Australian folk song pioneer A L Lloyd’s similarly comments:

Work like horses, spend like asses, used to be said of the oldtime shearers. They would knock up a sizeable cheque in the shearing sheds, and then set out for a spree in the distant city. The chances were, they'd get no more than halfway before they'd spent the lot. Perhaps that's why the otherwise unremarkable town of Gundagai shows so prominently in the folk song. It lies just about midway between the big sheds of the New South Wales Riverina and the bright lights of Sydney. Many a shearer, making his way towards the capital with his cheque, got no further than Lazy Harry's grog-shop on the road from Wagga to Gundagai.

Source: https://mainlynorfolk.info/lloyd/songs/theroadtogundagai.html

From The Mudcat Café:

I had a think about why we hear so much about Gundagai … and bullockies (bullock-team drivers - and I suspect that it is because Gundagai was a natural camping spot for bullock teams plying north to Sydney or south to Albury on the Murray River .. and even on to Melbourne. Gundagai was built where the main southern road from Sydney, what is now laughingly called the Hume Highway, crossed the Murrumbidgee River, the second largest river in the state (and the largest is only just in the state - as it forms the border with Victoria ... but is totally claimed by New South Wales!).

Until 1867, there was no bridge and crossing was by ferry p- a daunting job for a bullock team … probably involving unloading the highest part of the load to lower the centre of gravity … and not upset the ferry. Bullock teams must have spent a long time camped in close proximity and the area became a centre of 'bullocky folklore' - a pretty robust animal! 

Source: https://mudcat.org/Detail.CFM?messages__Message_ID=513071

It's a rollicking good song with a positive outlook, rather than a bitter or negative one.

Point of interest: Banjo Paterson printed the lyrics in his songbook Old Bush Songs

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The Lyrics:

Lazy Harry's

Oh we started down from Roto when the sheds had all cut out

We'd whips and whips of Rhino as we meant to push about

So we humped our blueys serenely and made for Sydney town

With a three-spot cheque between us as wanted knocking down

Chorus

But we camped at Lazy Harry's, on the road to Gundagai

The road to Gundagai

Not five miles from Gundagai

Yes we camped at Lazy Harry's on the road to Gundagai

Well we struck the Murrumbidgee near the Yanco in a week

And passed through old Narrandera and crossed the Burnett Creek

And we never stopped at Wagga for we'd Sydney in our eye

But we camped at Lazy Harry's on the road to Gundagai

Oh I've seen a lot of girls my boys and drunk a lot of beer

And I've met with some of both chaps as has left me mighty queer

But for beer to knock you sideways and for girls to make you sigh

You must camp at Lazy Harry's on the road to Gundagai

Well we chucked our blooming swags off and we walked into the bar

And we called for rum-an'-raspb'ry and a shilling each cigar

But the girl that served the poison she winked at Bill and I

And we camped at Lazy Harry's not five miles from Gundagai

In a week the spree was over and the cheque was all knocked down

So we shouldered our Matildas and we turned our back on town

And the girls they stood a nobbler as we sadly said good-bye

And we tramped from Lazy Harry's not five miles from Gundagai

Last chorus

And we tramped from Lazy Harry's not five miles from Gundagai

The road to Gundagai

Not five miles from Gundagai

Yes we tramped from Lazy Harry's on the road to Gundagai

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Link:

Great version by the original Bushwackers & Bullockies Bush Band, from 1973:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1f_E_EmWcs

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Glossary:

Roto:

Roto is a small settlement situated in the far-west of New South Wales. At the 2016 census, Roto and the surrounding area had a population of 41.

when the sheds had all cut out:

When the shearing season had come to an end and the shearing sheds were no longer operating. Most farmers shear their sheep in late spring or early summer, when the weather turns warmer, to ensure sheep do not get too hot and start to attract flies.

whips and whips of rhino:

The word “rhinoceros” and later the shortened “rhino” was used as a slang term for money or cash from the late 17th century, much in the same way as we use “dough” or “bucks” today. The origin is unknown.

humped our blueys:

Bluey: swag, the collection of possessions and daily necessities carried by a person travelling, usually wrapped in a tied off blue blanket, hence the name.

Humping: Carrying, toting.

three-spot cheque:

A cheque for one hundred pounds or more.

wanted knocking down:

Just had to be spent.

struck the Murrumbidgee:

Reached the Murrumbidgee River, the second longest river in Australia.

Yanco:

Small village, population 505

Narrandera:

A town located in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales, adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River, population 3,746.

Wagga:

Wagga Wagga is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga is the ninth largest inland city in Australia and is located midway between the two largest cities in Australia—Sydney and Melbourne.

shilling each cigar:

Expensive cigar. When I was a kid, before Australia went decimal, we had to learn our currency as 12 pennies make one shilling, 20 shillings make one pound. The amount in pounds, shillings and pence, by way of example as 19 pounds, 7 shillings and 9 pence, was written as £19/7/9. Before calculators, we had to solve maths problems such as take £3/19/4 from £31/3/5.

Matildas:

Another name for swag, hence waltzing matilda was the same as humping a bluey.

the girls they stood a nobbler:

A measure of alcohol.

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Gallery:

Shearing shed 1886-1891

As you can see, backbreaking work, no wonder they had blowouts at the end of the shearing season

Shearing shed outback NSW c 1885

The Golden Fleece, by Tom Roberts 1894

Shearing the Rams by Tom Roberts, 1890

Shears made by Robert Sorby, Sheffield, UK, company still manufacturing today.

Shearers sharpening blades in 1915.

Shearers wore moccasins made from old sacks to prevent slipping and absorb sweat, as well as reducing back strain.

The remnants of the "cookie" stove, last used in the 1950s, that helped to feed huge shearing teams.