Albury

Paterson didn’t write a poem mentioning Albury and there are no monuments to the Bard in the city. For all that, Paterson had a connection. In Paterson’s album (in the NLA’s A B Paterson Papers) he has captioned a pair of photographs ‘Bullock Team Albury’. 

These photographs suggest Paterson might have witnessed bullock teams bringing in bales for wool for loading onto the trains at Albury Railway station. The sidings and the platform are visible in the pictures. Completed in 1882, it is likely that Paterson took the train from Sydney to Albury Railway station before continuing his journey from Wodonga to Tallangatta by train.

The Sydney Morning Herald (20 October 1900) reported about Albury, ‘Mr Paterson, the special war correspondent of the “Sydney Morning Herald,” lectured here tonight and met with a good reception from a large audience.’ On 26 October 1900 The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express, gives a fuller account of Paterson’s lecture entitled ‘Australians in Action’. Notably, the account concludes on a humanitarian note with a reference to ‘Trooper Fleming building a kind of wall for the protection of a wounded comrade, under fire’ being ‘a signal for a very warm demonstration of approval.’ 

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/99844519/10847905

A week later on Friday 26 October 1900 on page 2 the Wodonga and Towong Sentinel reported ‘the citizens of Wodonga were however far less impressed. To the surprise of his erstwhile admirers, “Banjo” confined himself to recounting the wonderful achievements of the New South Wales contingents and not a word was said about the Victorian contingents.’

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/998444519

In a review published on 28 February 1906 Australian Town and Country Journal complements ‘Mr A B Paterson’ for doing ‘a service to Australia in getting together the Old Bush Songs. These are known throughout the breadth of the Commonwealth, and although the majority of them possess no literary merit, yet they have been the means of passing any weary hour.’

Many soldiers serving in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) might well have had the pocket-sized copies of The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses. Angus and Robertson published these small anthologies especially for those who had enlisted to take with them to war. If Paterson’s poetry continues to bring pleasure to our communities, we can only imagine the role it played in the wellbeing of those who served in Palestine and on the Western Front.

Banjo Paterson’s poetry had an unquantifiable benefit to the wellbeing of our ancestors striving to survive and to make their lives at the time of Federation. His poetry brought pleasure and similar benefits to those serving in all theatres of war, in both World Wars. While serving in the 2nd Remount Depot in Egypt, Paterson supplied horses to the Desert Mounted Corps for the Palestine Campaign and he helped organise gymkhanas, rodeos and other equestrian events for those on leave or recuperating in Egypt from injury.

While he described General Sir Harry Chauvel as a ‘sticky old frog’, Chauvel and Paterson knew each other well. For part of their schooling they were a year apart at Sydney Grammar, they both served in different capacities in the Boer War, Paterson as a war correspondent and Chauvel in the Queensland Mounted Infantry. Paterson wrote a poetic tribute to the Queensland Mounted Infantry.

Queensland Mounted Infantry

There’s a very well-built fellow, with a swinging sort of stride,
About as handy sort as I have seen.
A rough and tumble fellow that is born to fight and ride
And he’s over here a-fighting for the Queen.

He’s Queensland Mounted Infantry-compounded ‘orse and foot.
He’ll climb a cliff or gallop down a flat.
He’s cavalry to travel but he’s infantry to shoot.
And you’ll know him by the feathers in his hat.

General Sir Harry Chauvel often said he only accepted honours on behalf of his men who had served him. Paterson was one of those men.  The General Sir Harry Chauvel Memorial Foundation is proud to assist in commemorating Australia’s first and foremost bush and soldier-poet.