Andrew Barton Paterson was one of Australias best loved literary figures. Born on 17 February, 1864, at
Narambla, New South Wales, Australia,
the son of a Scottish immigrant from Lanarkshire.
Andrew Barton became fondly called "Banjo", which stuck with him for the rest of his life.
Poet, journalist, lawyer, jockey, soldier, farmer -
his most famous works would have to be:
Waltzing Matilda
The Man from Snowy River
Clancy of the Overflow
Saltbush Bill JP.
His early life was spent near Yass in NSW, and this is where he
became acquainted with the colourful bush characters that he
wrote about so vividly in his later life. His writings illustrate a great sense of humour, which is still present in the Australian Culture.
Much of his early life was spent around horses, and his
life-long love of horse-racing and polo is reflected in many of
his poems.
He was a member of the first NSW polo team to play against the
Victorians.
His schooling was at Sydney Grammar and when he left, at the age
of 16, he became a clerk in a Sydney lawyer's office.
Even though he was a practicing lawyer in Sydney, he always had
a hankering for the bush, and made numerous trips to remote areas
in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
His links with "The Bulletin" news paper prompted the "Sydney Morning Herald"
and "The Argus" to send him as a war correspondent to the Boer War
in South Africa in 1900 and 1901.
His vivid and exciting reports were well received.
In 1901, Paterson accepted another commission, to report the
aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion in China. He went from there to
London, where he renewed his friendships with Rudyard Kipling and
other people he had met in South Africa.
In 1908 he and his family left Sydney and ran a grazing property
in the highlands near Yass in Southern NSW.
In 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, Paterson
joined the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). He ended up as a
Major in the First Australian Remount Unit, a unit of horsemen
from the bush whose task was to train mounts for the
Australian Light Horse Brigade.
This was done in Egypt. His skills with men and mounts gained
him great respect.
In 1939 Paterson was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British
Empire) for his services to Australian literature.
Paterson died in 1941, just before his 77th birthday.
His love for the bush and the bush folk is illustrated in his
writings.
Banjo Paterson's image appears on the (AUD) $10 note, along
with an illustration inspired by "The Man From Snowy
River."
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