y separately published work icon The Book of Australian Ballads anthology   poetry   children's  
Issue Details: First known date: 1989... 1989 The Book of Australian Ballads
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

A collection of favourite Australian ballads telling bushrangers, drought, the Wild Colonial Boy, and much more besides.

Contents

* Contents derived from the South Melbourne, South Melbourne - Port Melbourne area, Melbourne - Inner South, Melbourne, Victoria,:Macmillan Australia , 1990 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
"Our Andy's gone to battle now" Andy's Gone with Cattlei"Our Andy's gone with cattle now-", Henry Lawson , single work poetry (p. 4-5)
A Bush Christeningi"On the outer Barcoo where the churches are few", A. B. Paterson , single work poetry humour (p. 6-9)
Maryborough Mineri"Come all you sons of liberty and listen to my song.", single work poetry (p. 10-12)
Mulga Bill's Bicyclei"`TWAS Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that caught the cycling craze", A. B. Paterson , single work poetry humour

Mulga Bill’s Bicycle was written by Banjo Paterson in 1896. It was written at a time when cycling was a relatively new and popular social activity. Cycles were ridden everywhere, including in the outback by shearers and other workers who needed to travel cheaply. It tells the hilarious story of Mulga Bill, who thinks he’s much better at cycling than he turns out to be. A resounding crash sends him back to his original mode of transport – his trusty horse. Kilmeny and Deborah Niland’s delightful illustrations catch the mood and humour of Paterson’s verse with great spirit, and this book has become an enduring classic.

Synopsis of the illustrated picture book.

Source: Harper Collins

(http://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780207172847/mulga-bills-bicycle/#sm.00001nzfrcbsrdd2gtij7q97dp0qg)

(p. 13-17)
Said Hanrahani"'We'll all be rooned,' said Hanrahan,", 'John O'Brien' , single work poetry humour (p. 18-24)
The Teamsi"A cloud of dust on the long, white road,", Henry Lawson , single work poetry (p. 25-28)
The Wild Colonial Boyi"'Tis of a wild Colonial boy, Jack Doolan was his name", single work poetry

'The Wild Colonial Boy' is a traditional Irish/Australian ballad of which there are many different versions. It has been argued that the original version was really about Jack Donahoe (variously spelled Donahoo or Donahue), an Irish transport who arrived at Sydney Cove in 1825, and was subsequently convicted of highway robbery and sentenced to death. He escaped and waged a guerrilla war against the wealthy for more than two years in the country around Sydney. On September 1st 1830 he was ambushed by a police party near Cambelltown and shot dead, his companions Webber and Warmsley escaping into the bush. This version was eventually outlawed as seditious so the name of the protagonist changed.

The resulting Irish version is about a young emigrant, named Jack Duggan, who left the town of Castlemaine, County Kerry, Ireland, for Australia in the 1800s. According to the song (and in keeping with the true story of Jack Donahoe), he spent his time there 'robbing from the rich to feed the poor'. In the song, the protagonist is fatally wounded in an ambush when his heart is pierced by the bullet of Fitzroy.

The Australian version has Jack Doolan (or sometimes Jack Dowling) as the protagonist, and here Castlemaine refers to the Australian town in Victoria. In both versions variation in the wording and language occurs across different sources.

In his Old Bush Songs, Banjo Patterson wrote: "it will be noticed that the same chorus is sung to both 'The Wild Colonial Boy' and 'Bold Jack Donahoo'. Several versions of both songs were sent in, but the same chorus was always made to do duty for both songs." This chorus, included in some (not all) Australian versions is as follows:


Come, all my hearties,

we'll roam the mountains high,

Together we will plunder,

together we will die.

We'll wander over valleys,

and gallop over plains,

And we'll scorn to live in

slavery, bound down with iron chains.

(p. 29-32)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Macmillan , 1989 .
      Extent: 32p.
      Description: col. illus.
      ISBN: 0333477197
Last amended 23 Sep 2021 11:35:34
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X