form Joe Wilson's Mates single work   film/TV  
Adaptation of The Union Buries Its Dead Henry Lawson , 1893 single work short story
Issue Details: First known date: 1956... 1956 Joe Wilson's Mates
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Based on Henry Lawson's poem 'The Union Buries its Dead,' Joe Wilson's Mates is set in a small country town during the 1890s. Joe Wilson is a stranger in town, with no known family or friends. When he dies, he is found to be carrying a union card, so the local members decide to honour one of their own with a decent funeral. The narrative sees the sweating union men making frequent stops on their way to the graveyard to rest, drink beer, and bicker.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Date: 1956
  • Appears in:
    form y separately published work icon Three in One Rex Rienits , Ralph Peterson , Australia : Australian Tradition Films , 1956 Z919028 1956 selected work film/TV

    A trilogy of stories reflecting a socialist view of Australian life in the 1950s, with a particular focus on mateship. Joe Wilson's Mates, based on Henry Lawson's 'The Union Buries its Dead', shows union members in a country town holding a funeral for an unknown tramp who carries a union card. In Frank Hardy's A Load of Wood, men in a make-work job during the Depression assert themselves by stealing firewood from a farmer and distributing it to the poor. The third story, The City by Ralph Peterson, follows young lovers trying to make a life in the hustle and bustle of Sydney.

         Australia : Australian Tradition Films , 1956
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Last amended 11 Dec 2014 10:27:26
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