Meet 'Banjo' Paterson
Andrew Barton Paterson was born near Orange in NSW on 17 February 1864. His first years were spent in the wilds of the bush.
The scenes of his childhood and characters of the bush were made famous through his poetry.
Banjo as he became known, was not simply a jolly story-teller from the bush. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School and later qualified as a Solicitor. He loved being a journalist too. At first he wrote for a travel brochure and later he became a newspaper editor and a war correspondent.
Banjo was a great horseman and he rode in the Boer War and in World War One.
Mostly, however, Banjo is remembered for his poetry with its descriptions of bush life and his creation of colourful characters.
The scenes of his childhood and characters of the bush were made famous through his poetry.
Banjo as he became known, was not simply a jolly story-teller from the bush. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School and later qualified as a Solicitor. He loved being a journalist too. At first he wrote for a travel brochure and later he became a newspaper editor and a war correspondent.
Banjo was a great horseman and he rode in the Boer War and in World War One.
Mostly, however, Banjo is remembered for his poetry with its descriptions of bush life and his creation of colourful characters.
How did Banjo get his name?
Around 1885 Paterson started to write poetry and publish it in the newspaper called the Bulletin. After a while he adopted the pen-name "banjo," after a racehorse his family had owned. He also wrote to express his political views and so he used the name Banjo so that people who read his poetry didn't think it was the same person.
Do you know any poems that Banjo Paterson wrote?
Have a quick discussion in your class to see if you know any. They are quite famous and well known.
Click here to see if you knew any of these ones!!
Click here to see if you knew any of these ones!!
Let's read one together - Mulga Bill's Bicycle
Kilmeny and Deborah Niland have made one of A.B Paterson's poems into an illustrated picture book. The poem is still exactly the same but the pictures and pages have been added.
- Share the book, "Mulga Bill's Bicycle."
- What sort of a poem is it?
- Do you hear the rhyming words and feel the beat?
- The name of this sort of poetry is a ballad.
- Sometimes ballads are made into songs.
What makes a ballad?
A ballad is a narrative poem that often retells the story of an heroic deed, a legend or a recent event.
See if some of the following ideas are present in Mulga Bill's Bicycle that you have just read.
The structure of a ballad
Ballads are a lot like a story or narrative with a rhyming pattern.
Ballads:
•have an orientation, complication and resolution
•often have an ending that is tragic or sad
•are traditionally shared orally (passed on by word of mouth), so they can change over time and sometimes have an anonymous author
•may contain verses or stanzas of four lines (known as quatrains) •may contain repetition of stanzas (a chorus) or repeated lines where a certain word is changed
The language in a ballad
Ballads:
•include language that focuses on actions and dialogue
•are often written in third or first person
•usually have a rhyming pattern of either abac, aabb or abcb
•have a regular beat (metrical) structure
•are often written in complete sentences
•include language that is selected to convey a particular mood or evoke an emotional response.
See if some of the following ideas are present in Mulga Bill's Bicycle that you have just read.
The structure of a ballad
Ballads are a lot like a story or narrative with a rhyming pattern.
Ballads:
•have an orientation, complication and resolution
•often have an ending that is tragic or sad
•are traditionally shared orally (passed on by word of mouth), so they can change over time and sometimes have an anonymous author
•may contain verses or stanzas of four lines (known as quatrains) •may contain repetition of stanzas (a chorus) or repeated lines where a certain word is changed
The language in a ballad
Ballads:
•include language that focuses on actions and dialogue
•are often written in third or first person
•usually have a rhyming pattern of either abac, aabb or abcb
•have a regular beat (metrical) structure
•are often written in complete sentences
•include language that is selected to convey a particular mood or evoke an emotional response.
Enjoy this version of Mulga Bill's Bicycle!
Enjoy one more very famous work by Banjo Paterson
- Many people believe that Paterson wrote Waltzing Matilda as a song and not as a poem in the 1890's. It doesn't really matter but we certainly know it more as a song today. It nearly became our National Anthem! Paterson apparently wasn't very impressed with the song and sold the rights to his publishing company. It first appeared in a song book in 1911, but because many people had already passed it on by word of mouth, several versions now exist.
- Share out the copies of the book with the children to share in twos or threes.
- As the children quietly read the book together, see if they can find words that are new to them or that are unique to Australia.
- There will probably be a few differences between each version.
- Discuss what story the poem/song is telling.
- Write up the words on the paper on the easel.
- What do they mean? Discuss
- Click here to check the meanings
Finally...
So now you know quite a lot about Banjo Paterson and where our sports team, Paterson, got its name!
Perhaps you can find some more of his ballads to read and enjoy.
Go the Mighty Paterson!
Perhaps you can find some more of his ballads to read and enjoy.
Go the Mighty Paterson!