The Bushwhackers, June 1952-1957, a photographic record.

History 

It all started with the formation of The Heathcote Bushwhackers. In June 1953# (sic) a literary and musical evening held at Jack Barrie’s house at Heathcote was to have an “Australian Night” - something unique in those days when our own culture appeared in danger of being engulfed in the flood of second-rate canned American music. Jack, Brian Loughlin and I got together with button accordeon and two of our recent discoveries; a tea chest bass and a lagerphone.

We stuck on false whiskers, dressed rough and gave out with our entire repertoire; Click Go The Shears, Botany Bay and Nine Miles From Gundagai. In spite of my whiskers falling off, or maybe because of them, we were an immediate success - as a comedy act! Chris Kempster joined us after that performance and then Harry Kay. 

We were invited to perform our bracket of three numbers at a Tribune concert organised by the Australian Communist Party, at the Hurstville Rivoli Theatre. We were a sensation! The audience shouted, stamped and clapped for more and wouldn’t shut up. And we didn’t know any more. Eventually we went back and did Botany Bay again and invited them to join in on the choruses. 
The idea of a group playing traditional instruments and singing Australian songs, straight and not in choral arrangements, was novel and soon we could not cope with the engagements that came rolling in. The following year we supplied the songs and music for four or five historical radio features written for the ABC by Nancy Keesing. We were joined by Alan Scott, Cec Grivas and later by Alec Hood. One day Brian Loughlin told me that someone had suggested that we form some sort of a club and after many bright and not so bright ideas for a name we fixed on The Bush Music Club.

Mulga Wire No. 17, February 1980, pp. 5-10, article by John Meredith

# note - June 1953 date above - other sources give 1952 for the formation of the Heathcote Bushwhackers - index to Keith McKenry's biography of John Meredith which was created using John Meredith's archives in the National Library, Chris Kempster's recollections, and Ballad of the Heathcote Bushwhackers. Jack's surname was Barrie, but both spellings are used in early sources.

See the newspaper clipping below from Jamie Carlin's collection referring to the celebration of the 2nd birthday of The Bushwhackers on 29th June 1955.
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Earliest picture of The Bushwhacker's Band - 1954 May Day procession, Haymarket (outside Paddy's markets & Jamie Carlin was watching - Jamie, Sept 2020)
http://newtheatrehistory.org.au/wiki/index.php/The_1950s_-_Cultural_Imperialism

BMC was formed as part of the Australia-wide search for Australian traditional culture due to the increasing Americanisation of our culture.

Left to right -  ?, John Meredith, ?, Chris Kempster, Brian Loughlin, Jack Barrie
3 banners -
The Bushwhackers Band Reedy River
Oust Menzies and Yankee "culture" Support Australian Artists.
"Reedy River" is grouse.



Canberra Times, Monday 3rd May, p.1 (TROVE)
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The Bushwhackers broke up sometime in 1957 and Concert Party was formed to be the performing arm of the Bush Music Club. Concert Party was ready for engagements by June.


1.  Newsletter, 3(1), June 1957 

2. Wattle - The Bushwhackers, Australian Bush Songs

2. Wattle - The Bushwhackers Australian Bush Songs - back

3.  Bushwhackers 2nd birthday - 29.6.55 (Jamie Carlin collection)

4.   The A.B.C Weekly, April 9, 1955

5.  Still from movie Three in One  taken from video shown by Keith McKenry at launch of More than a life - John Meredith and the Fight for Australian tradition.
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6.  Brian Laughlin (lagerphone) Chris Kempster (guitar), Alan Scott (tin whistle), Alex Hood (bones), John Meredith (squeeze box), Jack Barrie (tea chest bass) Alex thinks it was a warm up at the Henry Lawson Statue, we couldn't see Harry Kay, maybe he was hidden. Alex thinks it was 1954 (not absolutely certain of the date. (email from Alex & Annette Hood)
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1954

 
7.  Ad for the new Bush Music Club, Tribune Wed 17/11/54 (TROVE) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

8. Reedy River, A.M. 1954

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9.  Reedy River - Chris Kempster, Brian Loughlin, John Meredith, Jack Barrie

10. Reedy River - Chris Kempster, Jack Barrie, John Meredith, Brian Loughlin, Chris Kempster

11. Bushwhackers on a visit to Lithgow, photo taken by John Meredith who does not appear in the photo (Dec 1954)
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1955

12.  Alan Scott, Chris Kempster, John Meredith, Jack Barrie, Harry Kay, Cecil Grivas, Alex Hood (photo 001 in the "P" series, BMC Archives)

13. Mulga Wire no. 60, April 1987, p. S2

14.  Concert at Sydney Cricket Ground for Far West Scheme or Smith Family (sources differ), entertaining 5000 kids - without amplification.
left to right, Jack Barrie's arm, John Meredith (accordion), Alex Hood (bones), Chris Kempster (guitar), Alan Scott (nose flute), Harry Kay (mouth organ), Brian Loughlin (lagerphone)    (BMC Archives)

15.  Dame Mary Gilmore with the cast of the 1955 revival of Reedy River on her 90th Birthday (BMC Archives)

16.  Mulga Wire no.60, April 1987, alas the newspaper clipping referred to has not survived.
In March, 1955, New Theatre revived Reedy River for two weekends ...  Jamie Carlin - The First Ten Years originally published in Singabout Vol 5, No 2, October 1964, pages 12-14.
email from Bob Bolton, 17/9/13  ... and she received some gifts ... and a birthday cake ... in the Manager's Suite of the Rural Bank Building, Martin Place. The Bushwhackers Band are all togged up in their well stage-worn Reedy River costumes ... Merro always reckoned that Mary Gilmore said that their costume was so right that she could even smell the shearing shed ... Merro just reckoned she could small the stage costumes!!!


17.  Bushwhackers at Henry Lawson Concert, Como September 1955, (Supplied by Warren Fahey, unknown source)

18. Australian Folklore Festival - 3rd September 1955 (BMC Archives)



19.  Stringybark & Greenhide, 6(1), pp.1-2, no date but probably 1986 (publication dates from NLA catalogue entry)  (includes typo in par 2 - Bushwackers instead of  Bushwhackers) 
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1956

20.  Visit to Lawson's birthplace, September 1956. (BMC Archives)  Singabut 1(4), Spring 1956 has a report of the visit. Brian Loughlin (lagerphone), Harry Kay (harmonica), Cec Grievas (bones, behind Harry), Alan Scott (whistle), John Meredith (accordion), Jack Barrie (bush bass), Chris Kempster (guitar)

21. Undated clipping supplied by Ron Nixon, Brian's nephew, which uses the 1956 photo (Nov 2020)

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1957

22.  Mulga Wire no. 22, Dec 1980

23.  Cover picture details
All photos, BMC Archives
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John Meredith - author and photographer

Click on pictures for full-screen image

John Meredith published many books and articles in magazines and journals. BMC's library contains 2 scrapbooks of some of these articles.

From the Archives - The Merro Scrapbooks - a very incomplete collection of articles by John Meredith found in other publications

He was also a poet, and an excellent photographer who photographed all his sources, some more than once as he kept in touch with the people he had collected from. A selection of these photos is included in Real Folk (below) and his photos are included in his collection held by the National Library. The National Library catalogue entry lists 995 entries for John Meredith (author) - books, recordings, and 267 photographs.

John Meredith's bookplate

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John Meredith's papers at the National National Library,  Manuscript Reference number NLA MS 1007
Papers of John Stanley Raymond Meredith, 1948-2001 [manuscript] The collection comprises papers relating to Meredith's long career in the folk music industry. There is correspondence; research material from field trips and for his books; transcriptions of songs; drafts of his writings, including those for several of his books; musical scores; scrapbooks; diaries and photographs. Correspondents include Hugh Anderson, Gwenda Davey, Charles Edward, Ron Edwards, Martin Fitzgerald, Mary Gilmore, Catherine Jeffries, John Low, Vance Palmer, Pamela Rosenberg, Yvonne White, Stephan Williams and Chris ("Woody") Woodland.

Folk musician and folklorist. A self-taught musician, Meredith formed the original Bushwhackers band in 1952 and was a founding member of the Bush Music Club (1954) and early editor of its magazine Singabout. In 1954 he also became secretary of the new Australian Folklore Society. Meredith spent many years collecting and recording hundreds of traditional Australian folk-songs and bush-dance music. With the aid of a government fellowship and together with Hugh Anderson, he collected material for and published Folksongs of Australia Vol. 1 in 1967. Vol. 2 was published in 1987. Meredith went on to publish a number of books relating to the Australian folk music scene and to write many of his own songs including two ballad operas, The wild colonial boy and How many miles from Gundagai?
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Article in Challenge (Eureka Youth League newspaper) March 1955 (thanks to Keith McKenry for the image)
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Old Bush Songs, a series by John Meredith which was published weekly in The Bulletin from 2nd March 1955  (thanks to Keith McKenry for these images from John Meredith's scrapbook held in the National Library Oral History collection)
1. Next week The Bulletin will begin publishing a series of old bush songs, words and music ...

2.  Travelling down the Castlereagh

3.  Another fall of rain

4.  With my Swag all on my Shoulder

5. The Old Man Kangaroo, collected from the late "Hoopiron" Jack Lee

6.  Bold Jack Donahoe, April 6, 1955

7.  Jog along till Shearing, collected from Joe Cashmere, published 13/4/55

8.  Jim Jones at Botany Bay, published 20/4/55

9.  The Umeralla Shore

10.  The Old Bark Hut

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In 1956 Brisbane's New Theatre put on The Wild Colonial Boy, a play written by John Meredith and Joan Clarke. The play was reviewed by Tribune in 21st March & advertised in 27th March issue.





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Songs from the Bush. Collected and edited by John Meredith and others. Arranged by Alfred Hill. Imperial edition no. 766. Allan & Co Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Adelaide, Bendigo, 1957.



Review in  Singabout 2(3), December 1957, pages 8 & 9

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Bushwhacker Songs: Old and New Sydney: John Meredith, ca.1955, (foolscap) 
Seven Bushwhacker Broadsides bound together with Bushwhacker Community Songsheet, no. 1.

no.1



foolscap page scanned as 2 images
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Songs from the Kelly Country, collected and edited by John Meredith; illustrations and layout by Gil Small, assisted in publication by Brian Loughlin. (published by Bush Music Club)
First edition was issued in 1955 as a folder of foolscap Bushwhacker Ballads with metal binder.


2nd edition in 1956 was a small bound booklet. (8", 20cm)
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Songs From Lawson, edited by John Meredith. Woolloomooloo, N.S.W.: Bush Music Club, 1956, 1957

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The Songs from the Australian musical drama Reedy River, by Dick Diamond /​ prepared by David E. Milliss and John Meredith; with the assistance of Stan Wakefield and Laurence Morris. Cover title: "Reedy River" song book.
1st, 2nd & 3rd editions, New Theatre, 1954, 1960 & 1966

1st edition 1954, New Theatre,

title page

2nd edition. Sydney: New Theatre, 1960.   Cover title: "Reedy River" song book.
 
 title page

3rd edition. Sydney: New Theatre, 1966.   Cover title: "Reedy River" song book

title page

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Authentic Australian Bush Ballads, edited by John Meredith & Alan Scott for the Bush Music Club. Sydney, Southern Music Publishing Company, c.1960

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The Wild Colonial Boy: The Life and Times of Jack Donahoe 1808(?)-1830. Sydney, N.S.W.: Wentworth Press, 1960

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Songs of Australia Words & Music by Stan Wakefield, edited by John Meredith for The Bush Music Club. Series no. 2. Sydney, Southern Music Publishing Co, 1966

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Folk Songs of Australia and the Men and Women Who Sang Them by John Meredith and Hugh Anderson. Sydney: Ure Smith, ca.1967, 1968, 1973

Review in BMC Newsletter, 1968?

2nd ed 1967, reprinted 1985
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Folk Songs of Australia and the Men and Women Who Sang Them by John Meredith and Hugh Anderson. Dee Why West, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, 1968, 1979
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Frank, The Poet: The Life and Works of Francis MacNamara by John Meredith and Rex Whalan. Melbourne: Red Rooster, 1979

Review of Frank the Poet in Mulga Wire no. 15, October 1979, page 4 (unsigned - Editors  Dave Johnson, Bob Bolton and Ralph Pride)

Review of Frank the Poet by Lester Grace, Stringybark & Greenhide, 1(4), p.25

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Ned Kelly After A Century of Acrimony  by John Meredith and Bill Scott. Sydney: Lansdowne Press, 1980


Review by Bob Bolton in Mulga Wire, no.22, Dec 1980, p.7
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The Coo-ee March: Gilgandra-Sydney 1915 Dubbo, N.S.W.: Macquarie Publications, 1981


Review by Bob Bolton in Mulga Wire no. 25, June 1981

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The Donahoe Ballads Ascot Vale, Vic.: Red Rooster Press, ca.1982

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The Wild Colonial Boy: Bushranger Jack Donahoe, 1806–1830 Ascot Vale, Vic.: Red Rooster Press, 1982

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Duke of the Outback: The Adventures of "A Shearer Named Tritton" Ascot Vale, Vic.: Red Rooster Press, 1983



Mulga Wire, no.11, p.7
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Learn To Talk Old Jack Lang: A Handbook of Australian Rhyming Slang by John Meredith, drawings by George Sprod. Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Kangaroo Press, 1984, 2nd edition




Review from Stringybark & Greenhide, 5(4)

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Dinkum Aussie Slang:  A Handbook of Australian Rhyming Slang  by John Meredith, drawings by George Sprod. Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Kangaroo Press, 1991


Thanks to Chris Woodland for scans of inscriptions in these titles and for the following information. The reason that Learn to Talk Old Jack Lang was closely followed by Dinkum Aussie Slang was because the title of the first publication was felt to be too esoteric.

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Folk Songs of Australia and the Men and Women Who Sang Them, Volume 2  by John Meredith and Hugh Anderson. Kensington, N.S.W: New South Wales University Press, 1987 
Launch of this book


Review by Dave Johnson in Mulga Wire no.62, August 1987, pp.S1-S4




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The Householders' Compendium   Shepparton, Vic.: Night Owl, 1986



Corrections courtesy of Chris Woodland.


Mulga Wire no.55, June 1986. p,.8
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The Coo-ee March: Gilgandra-Sydney, 1915. Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Kangaroo Press, 1986

Review by Bob Bolton, Mulga Wire no.25, June 1981.


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King of the Dance Hall: The Story of Fifty Years of Ballroom Music with Frank Bourke and the White Rose Orchestra Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Kangaroo Press, c1986


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Gallant Peter Clark Woden, A.C.T.: Popinjay, 1988

Peter Clark was a drover in the Hunter region of NSW. He was killed by Wilson the bushranger in 1868. This book sets out to be an example of the processes of oral tradition, to bring together all the various accounts of the incident.

From the Archives - Review by Alan Scott of John Meredith's Gallant Peter Clark




Review by Alan Scott in Mulga Wire no.68, August 1988, pp.S1-S3



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The Last Kooradgie: Moyengully, Chief Man of the Gundungurra People Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Kangaroo Press, 1989

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Real Folk Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1995 -  includes an autobiography  https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2094119 - see pdf version

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Breaker's Mate : Will Ogilvie in Australia by Will Henry Ogilvie, compiled and edited by John Meredith. Kenthurst, N.S.W.: Kangaroo Press, ca.1996

Merv Lilley's review of Breaker's Mate - from Overlander,
no. 147, 1997,  pp. 33-35 (Chris Woodland Collection)

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Haiku of John Meredith, made by hand by Merro, using traditional materials, including rice paper, Size is 4 1/8 inches (105mm)  X  5 13/16 inches (147mm). With thoughtful haiku poems. (Chris Woodland collection)

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List of publications from Wikipedia
Publications found in BMC archives are included in this article.



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