Extracts from Singabout - the early songwriters - Dorothy Hewett (1923-2002) & Merv Lilley (1919-2016 )

Click on pictures for full-screen image

The Bush Music Club published many new songs & poems in Singabout, Journal of Australian Folk Song between 1956 and 1967. This series lists the works of these songwriters and poets and provides biographical information where possible.

 Interview with Merv Lilley by Alex & Annette Hood, held in the National Library

Bookmark: https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/3308955

Merv Lilley born Rockhampton, Qld. talks about his family background and ancestry; the Murphy Murders in Gatton, Qld.; reading the book "Gatton Man"; the book "The Channels"; his father and his relationship with his two sons; his father teaching his sons to fight; living on the farm while his father was away working as a commercial traveller; suffering a "rupture" from heavy lifting, his work and relatives; Charles "Bluey" Bostock; dairy work in Mackay; the possum season, skinning of possums; the shooting of koalas; working on Cleve Station, out from Marlborough; an operation for his "rupture"; joining the army following an argument with his father; his mother and her relationship with father; his writing beginnings, a teacher's encouragement for writing and recitation; leaving school and his first jobs; the reality of life in the bush; his interest in the Communist Party; smoking.

Lilley speaks about working for Brett's sawmills for 12 months (1944) after leaving the Army; training for boxing at "Snowy Smith's" Gymnasium; a bike accident; George McKinnon; Army life and being on Goods Island when John Gorton was shot down; the army refusing to recognise the men of island service; a post-war battle for recognition; the bombing on Horne Island; a court marshal; his decision to leave the army; being unable to box due to injury, his regrets about this; talks of fighting techniques; his fitness; the last fight; "Bronco Johnson" and his troupe; Cassius Clay; Tom O'Flynn; Alex Hood talks about Merv's songs, published by the Bush Music Club; a misunderstanding with John Meredith; how he met Dorothy Hewitt; meeting Zoe O'Leary from "Realist Writers"; advice given about how to write; meeting Dorothy in Melbourne when she wrote "Bobbin Up"; being regarded as a "Revisionist"; the Australasian Book Society; being asked by Dorothy to go to Perth to learn to write poetry; communicating through John Meredith.

Biography

• Merv Lilley is a well known writer of prose and verse. His connections with progressive left wing artists and writers, along with his years of experience working around the country as a farm labourer, cane cutter, station hand, seaman and professional boxer have given his writings an authentic and penetrating quality, which show him to be a true chronicler of his life and times. His working partnership with Dorothy Hewett forged a common concern and love for the Australia of the working people. He has been very active in writers' organisations and many of his poems have been set to music and are part of many singers' repertoires.
  
  =========================================
  
  

VIDEOS - A Lyrical Afternoon at Varuna, The Writers' House Katoomba, In celebration of the life and work of Norman Talbot, Dorothy Hewett and Merv Lilley was held on the 15th September 2012.

A Celebration of the Life and Work of Dorothy Hewett (1923-2002)
A Celebration of the Life and Work of Merv Lilley by his daughter
 
==================================
Wikipedia article on Dorothy Hewett 


Dorothy Hewett with seashell (photo courtesy of Rozanna Lilley) 
 An unbridled rage to live Dorothy Hewett: poet, playwright, novelist and bohemian, 1923 - 2002. Obit - Sydney Morning Herald
===================================
Rozanna Lilley's album of family photos on Flickr

Merv Lilley & Dorothy Hewett (photo courtesy of Rozanna Lilley)
Biography of Merv Lilley on The Vulgar Press website


Merv Lilley, age 96 years (photo courtesy of Rozanna Lilley)

Obit by Patrick Cornish, The West Australian, 28th September 2016

Eulogy by Rozanna Lilley

*************************************

Dorothy Hewett

Ballad of Norman Brown by Dorothy Hewett  (tune - the Collier Laddie), Singabout 2(3), December 1957





From Jennie Richards, former BMC member, August 2020

I've just been reading December 1957 Singabout on the blog & hadn't realised that Dorothy Hewitt's poem about Norman Brown was published so early. Have I told you that Norman Brown was my first cousin once removed? Norman's mother Laura, and my maternal grandmother Edith, were sisters. My mother was only 5 when Norman died; my middle name is Grace after Norman's sister Dorothy Grace Kidd (Laura had Norman when she was 17 and unmarried, she later married Albert Kidd and they had Dorothy Grace) who died at 15.

Mum often spoke of both Norman and Gracie - Dorothy Grace seems to have been called Gracie - I think she was close to Auntie Laura. Poor Laura; in her mid 40s she had lost both of her children young and in sad circumstances. I don't remember Laura, she died when I had just turned one.

There's always a family story behind every tragedy, even one that makes the history books.

First time I realised that was in December 1979; I had just put Doug to bed and caught the tail end of a story on ABC news about miners marching to a memorial to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Norman's death. I rang them and they read out the full story to me, and that's when it hit me - that this was bigger than just a story which had come down in my family.

The first time Kevin and I went to a BMC night ... would have been in about the mid 80s ... Margaret Walters sang that song, I had never known of it. I introduced myself and told of my connection, which they found interesting.

It's an odd feeling - difficult to describe - that something in your family you have grown up knowing about is considered "history", in fact a very important part of labour history, as it's the only time police have fired on demonstrating workers in Australia. Before we left Sydney we saw an exhibition called "Policing the Depression" at the Police and Justice Museum near Circular Quay; part of it was devoted to the industrial trouble on the Hunter Valley coalfields in the 1920s, including Norman's death.

Jennie also sings Graham Seal's The country knows the rest, another song about Norman Brown.

===============

Merv Lilley  (8 songs)

Singabout 1(1) Summer 1956, p.7


Cane Killed Abel by Merv Lilley    Music: Chris Kempster, Singabout 1(1)

We Gave A Fair Go by Merv Lilley, another version of his popular Ho - Give a Go. Singabout 1(1)





The Bushwhackers singing Ho Give A Fair Go at the first Singabout night, 1955
Left to right - Harry Kay (mouth organ), Brian Loughlin (lagerphone), Alec Hood, Jack Barrie, with John Meredith (accordion) behind Alec. 
Singabout 1(1), p.5, published January 1956.

The first Singabout night was held sometime between October & early December 1955 on a very rainy night (source - December 1955 Newsletter)

Sat 26th November according to Jamie Carlin's 1955 diary.  (unpublished, Sept 2024)

The Farmer up a Tree by Merv Lilley (tune Jimmy Riddle) Singabout 1(1)

Bound for Darling Harbour by Merv Lilley, Singabout 1(1)

Eight Bells by Merv Lilly   (tune - Ring the Bell, watchman), Singabout 1(2), Autumn 1956

The Rona's Last Trip by Merv Lilley   Music: John Arcot, Singabout 1(4), Spring 1956

Definitely Barred by Merv Lilley, Singabout 3(1),  Summer 1958

Farewell Snowy Lamb - words, Merv Lilley, (tune - The Dying Stockman), Singabout 3(2), Autumn 1959

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mulga Wire, no. 153, Singabout insert, 4 pages, October 2002.








****************************************