Traditional Ballad Verse in Australia

Folklore, Oct, 2000 by William N. Scott

Unheard and unregarded through the '50s, '60s '70s and '80s save for a few notable outlets. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation during these years from time to time broadcast sessions where listeners submitted verse and these were sometimes read to air by the presenters of the programmes. Verse flooded in to these sessions, one of which, the Hospital Hour, often presented verse from listeners. The other two venues available were the two literary competitions for Bush Verse run annually; one was the Henry Lawson Awards at Grenfell in New South Wales and the other the Bronze Swagman Awards at Winton in the centre west of Queensland. Both these competitions drew huge numbers of entries; both celebrated literary events. Grenfell was close to the birthplace of the poet after whom the competition was named. Winton remembered the composition of Paterson's "Waltzing Matilda," which had its first public airing in that town.

In 1994 came a turning point in the presentation and performance of Bush Poetry with the foundation of the Bush Poets Association which had its first headquarters in the Darling Downs city of Toowoomba. The Association grew rapidly and, while at first sponsors were almost entirely from country shires and towns, Poets Breakfasts and concerts, competitions and performances were widespread across the country. By 1997, when the National Outback Performing Arts organisation along with the city of Longreach celebrated the Outback Muster, there were no fewer than seven categories of spoken verse as well as the literary competition for written verse. The winner of the Open Challenge was sponsored by QANTAS to attend the Cowboy Poets Gathering at Elko, Nevada. (It would appear that a similar movement of traditional verse exists in the United States.)

Despite the tremendous enthusiasm displayed by both poets and listeners, Bush Poetry remains in Australia as it has always done in the eyes of critics and literary circles. It is fascinating, however, for a folklorist to see the tradition continuing from the unhappy days of the first fleet with little or no encouragement from the formal writing scene, a real example of the survival of a folk art despite lack of recognition. The folk want it, need it, and are rewarded by its continuing survival.

Biographical Note

Bill Scott is a writer, broadcaster, poet and singer who has published widely on Australian folklore. His books include The Long, and the Short and the Tall: A Collection of Australian Yams, The Complete Book of Australian Folklore, and My Uncle Art. Bill Scott lives in Warwick, Queensland.