Henry Lawson's Early Life
- Henry Lawson was born in 1867, in a tent on a goldfield in rural New South Wales. His father was mining there, and times were tough. The Lawson family was very poor.
- Although Henry didn't have a good, formal education, his mother gave him lots of books. He a shy, sensitive child. He wasn't like most bush boys. (Even his mother thought he was a bit strange!)
- When he was 9 years old, Henry developed an ear infection and went partly deaf. By age 14, he was totally deaf.
- The children at school bullied and teased Henry and he became more of a loner. They nicknamed him ‘Barmy’ (meaning crazy). He withdrew into himself and good at observing people...looking at how they act.
Henry's Life
- Henry Lawson grew up to be a quite bitter and confused man. He always believed things would get better ... but it seemed he didn't have much luck in life.
- In the olden days reading poetry was a popular pastime (no TV, of course!) People looked up to writers...everyone had a favourite poet.
- In 1888 the Bulletin (a newspaper) started to publish Henry's stories and poems. People could see he understood life in Australia, and he soon had loyal readers.
Henry wrote short stories too!
One of Henry’s most popular stories was The Loaded Dog. It’s a fantastic tale about three gold miners and their dog. They make a bomb to throw in the big waterhole so they can catch fish. Unfortunately the dog gets the bomb and chases them around the town with it in his mouth.
Let's Read The Loaded Dog
The illustrator, Daniel DePierre, has done a wonderful job of recreating the environment of the Australian outback during the gold mining days. His illustrations work beautifully with Lawson's writing to represent the larrikin type nature of blokes during those times.
Read and Enjoy!
Read and Enjoy!
Afterward reading . . .
Do you think this story could have been true? Why or why not?
What were the first clues we got that told us that Tommy, the dog, was going to get into mischief and cause a stir?
What parts of the tale do you find the funniest or the most amusing? (I can just imagine the three men all chasing one another trying to get away from the dog, but the dog running after them, thinking this is the best game ever! It also makes me laugh to imagine Jim scrambling up the tree, held up by the dog!)
Why would the bushman stop at Dave's camp (after the incident), and say "El-lo, Da-a-ve! How's the fishin' getting on, Da-a-ve?" What would they have meant by that?
What sorts of characters do you think Dave, Andy and Jim were?
What were the first clues we got that told us that Tommy, the dog, was going to get into mischief and cause a stir?
What parts of the tale do you find the funniest or the most amusing? (I can just imagine the three men all chasing one another trying to get away from the dog, but the dog running after them, thinking this is the best game ever! It also makes me laugh to imagine Jim scrambling up the tree, held up by the dog!)
Why would the bushman stop at Dave's camp (after the incident), and say "El-lo, Da-a-ve! How's the fishin' getting on, Da-a-ve?" What would they have meant by that?
What sorts of characters do you think Dave, Andy and Jim were?
Sketching
Have a go at sketching Tommy, The Loaded Dog. Use the picture below as inspiration.