Waltzing Matilda is possibly the best-known Australian song both here and overseas. The lyrics were written by poet A.B. (Banjo) Paterson in 1895 while staying at Dagworth Station near Winton in Central Queensland.
These were turbulent times in Australia, there was a push for the Australian States to join together to form one nation and become an independent federated nation. Since 1788 there had been a growth in the country’s white population fostered particularly by the on-going gold rushes. The country was beginning to develop its own unique character and many were disdainful of the class system personified by the landed gentry or squatters.
The book’s pencil and watercolour artwork reflects the Australian outback in keeping with the iconic nature and historic origins of the song. Into the song’s narrative are woven newspaper clippings, snippets of music, and maps that highlight the social changes and upheaval of the period. In particular, the on-going shearer’s life which is said to have influenced Paterson in the writing of the song. The shearers were striking for better pay which the squatters were refusing. The shearer’s families were hungry and violence broke out particularly between the striking shearers and strike-breakers or scabs. One strike leader was found dead next to a billabong, perhaps providing the model for the swagman.
The actions of the shearers appear in small photo-like illustrations inset into the larger narrative of the song. Perhaps to further emphasise the ‘lawlessness’ of the times there is the story of bushranger embedded in the overall story, again introduced using small inset illustrations. Of note is the design of the title pages that cleverly integrate historic newspaper stories with the book’s publication details and its dedication.
The book includes a glossary of words used and a ‘Short History of a Long Tradition’ briefly detailing some background to the song. Inside the back cover is a CD containing three different performances of the song.
Picture Books for Older Readers
