Waltzing Australia: A bush poem
There’s nothing more patriotic than a rousing rendition of ‘Waltzing Matilda’, sung loudly and proudly at sporting and other events all around the world. It was with this in mind that I sat at the bar of the North Gregory Hotel in Winton, where the song was reportedly sung for the first time, quietly contemplating its effect and impact on so many Australians. Over 120 years have now passed since Banjo Paterson and Christina Macpherson collaborated to produce the words and music of our unofficial national anthem in 1895, and I doubt they could ever have imagined its longevity and popularity. From the little town in far-western Queensland, ‘Waltzing Matilda’ has come to be recognised as the song most widely associated with Australia and its people, both here and overseas, and the one to which we inevitably turn.
The passion generated by the stirring tune has been no more evident than in the lead-up to the rugby internationals of the 1990s, when country music artists like James Blundell and John Williamson led the pre-match entertainment by strolling the sidelines while strumming their bush guitars. The sound of fifty-odd thousand voices joining in the chorus, reverberating around the grounds in a unified show of support, was an overwhelming display of national pride. It’s a shame this tradition was abandoned, for it demonstrated the true Australian spirit, and while the crowd may still break out in the old familiar strains from time to time, it is no longer the great ritual it once was. I’ve made reference to those spine-tingling performances in the following poem, as I transfer those same lilting lyrics from the dusty plains of outback Queensland to the lush green rugby fields of Twickenham in London.
‘Waltzing Matilda’ is at the essence of our national identity, and has been for a long time. The song has accompanied us to war, to space, and to every conceivable occasion that calls for camaraderie and comradeship. It was the song, sung by our very own Slim Dusty, that was played from Space Shuttle Columbia as it sailed over Australia on its maiden voyage in 1981. Slim was back on deck for the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, where he sang ‘Waltzing Matilda’ to a crowd of 115,000, and millions of others all around the world.
Dating back to 1879, the North Gregory Hotel has a rich history and a long association with the vast outback. Although it’s been ravaged by fire three times, I still see it as the very spot where Banjo would’ve sat all those years ago, gazing out on the same endless plains that stretch to the horizon. As I reflected on his and Christina’s wonderful legacy I travelled back to 1895, imagining the applause and praise for that very first airing of ‘Waltzing Matilda’. In their absence I could only drink a toast to the legend of their timeless tune, and resolve to acknowledge their contribution in a poem I was to call ‘Waltzing Australia’.
Waltzing Australia
I was sitting out in Winton on a stool beside the bar
When a bloke came on the telly with his trusty old guitar
With a rousing loud rendition and the punters sang along
To a song about a swagman and a western billabong
It was international rugby at its quintessential best
And that song that he was singing was inspired in the west
And it stirred a lot of passion and it fired up the soul
And it all began near Winton by a muddy waterhole
When Banjo wrote the lyrics by a Diamantina moon
And the talented Christina put the ditty to a tune
They could never have imagined how the song would play a part
In the shaping of our country and in every Aussie heart
And I felt the Banjo’s presence from my stool beside the bar
As I watched that game of rugby on that foreign field afar
And I saw the young Christina with a songbook in her hand
While a hundred thousand Aussies were all cheering from the stand
Now from sporting fields and stadiums both here and round the world
And wherever there’s a contest or an Aussie flag unfurled
It’s our unofficial anthem and it’s sung with joy and pride
From the cities and the beaches out across the countryside
And I cannot help but marvel how the song has been embraced
By so many generations and the passion it has placed
In the hearts of all Australians when they hear it being sung
From the oldest of our people to the youngest of our young
From the rolling plains at sundown to that western waterhole
To a rugby international when we kick the winning goal
It’s the song that bonds Australians and you’ll hear them proudly say
It was written out in Queensland and away out Winton way
From Twickenham in England to the dusty plains outback
From the hallowed turf in London to a swagman on the track
It all started here near Winton with the spirit of a soul
Who had waltzed his old matilda to a muddy waterhole
And I’d like to think the swagman is an avid rugby fan
For that song we sing together has immortalised the man
When the crowds rise up in chorus and we hold our head up high
We can feel the jolly swagman and his spirit waltzing by
And I’d like to thank the Banjo for the lyrics that he wrote
And his friendship with Christina that all started with a note
And that poor forgotten swagman who has left us with a song
And whose ghost may waltz forever, by that western billabong.
This is an extract from Waltzing Australia by Tim Borthwick, published by ABC Books.