The play list:1 Spinifex and Sand
Words by David Carnegie, 1895 – music by Jeremy Levi, 2004The Hon. David W. Carnegie (1871-1900) composed this poem while out prospecting with Gus Luck. ‘Since this is one of the few attempts at rhyming that I have been guilty of, I hope I may be excused for wishing to see it in print, for at the time I was exceedingly proud of the composition.’ It provided the title of his acclaimed book
Spinifex and Sand: A Narrative of Five Years’ Pioneering and Exploration in Western Australia (1898).
2 The Boulder Block
Words by Thomas ‘Crosscut’ Wilson, 1907 – music by Murray Dowsett, 2004At the height of the Golden Mile’s fame, the Boulder Block was where hundreds of miners congregated, day and night, after their underground shifts – ‘six pubs to the blooming acre … Health and wealth and grief and squalor – that’s the Boulder Block’. Wilson (1867-1925) knew it intimately and that’s why this work continues to resonate.
3 A Drunk’s DefenceWords by Thomas ‘Crosscut’ Wilson, 1908 – music by Murray Dowsett, 2004This poetic ‘defence’ by a goldfields drunk explores the struggle faced by countless men who fell victim to the booze while seeking their fortune. It’s another memorable example of Wilson’s craft.
4 The Outback TripWords by ‘The Exile’, 1905 – music by Jeremy Levi, 2004The decision to include “The Outback Trip” in this collection was not taken lightly. The poet (whose true identity is not known) voices the anti-‘foreigner’ prejudices of the era. The racial vilification is principally directed at Italians and other southern Europeans, many of whom were contract workers in the mines controlled by London’s Bewick, Moreing & Company.
5 A Man was Killed in the Mine TodayWords by Thomas ‘Crosscut’ Wilson, 1907 – music by Murray Dowsett, 2004Incisive and heart-wrenching, this work has been set to music by a number of composers over the years, adding weight to Wilson’s status as arguably the finest of the goldfields bards.
6 Bayley Street TonightWords by Jack Sorensen, c. 1939 – music by Jeremy Levi, 2004Sorensen (1907-1949) was born in Kalgoorlie and much of his poetry pays tribute to the men and women who pioneered the goldfields, with this being a widely admired anthem.
7 Herbert Hoover’s Love Song
Unknown, c. 1933 – music by Murray Dowsett, 2004While the young Herbert Hoover (31st President of the USA) may have established his early fame and fortune on WA’s goldfields, it’s unlikely that he penned these beautiful words of remembered intimacy with a Kalgoorlie barmaid. Who did? Maybe it was ‘Dryblower’ Murphy, but we’ll probably never know.
8 Phantoms of the DarkWords by Frederick William ‘Francis’ Ophel, 1903 – music by Jeremy Levi, 2004Ophel (1871-1912) often wrote under the name 'Prospect Good' and ranks with Wilson as a poet who delved deep beneath the surface reality of goldfields life. This haunting evocation of ghostly dreams opens memorably with ‘I hear them pass at eventide, I hear the dead pass by’.
9 His EpitaphWords by Frederick William ‘Francis’ Ophel, 1910 – music by Murray Dowsett, 2004
There are few poems of the era that speak more poignantly of those who found no more than a lonely grave while pursuing their golden quest.
10 A Mining AnalogyWords by Frederick William ‘Francis’ Ophel, 1899 – music by Jeremy Levi, 2004Intensely colloquial, this ‘analogy’ links praying with prospecting. ‘What’s prayin’? Prayin’s wantin’ things.’ One suspects Ophel was one of thousands of optimists whose prayers weren’t answered.
11 Along the Road to CueWords by Andree Hayward, 1895 – music by Murray Dowsett, 2004Hayward (1866-1950) travelled the road to Cue many times. He knew the teamsters and coach drivers well and never ceased to marvel at their verbal dexterity as ever onwards they urged their beasts of burden.
12 Pints That I’ve RefusedWords by Edwin Greenslade ‘Dryblower’ Murphy, c. 1908 – music by Murray Dowsett, 2004This is the popular and prolific ‘Dryblower’ Murphy (1867-1939) at his best and most wry. The idea of a dedicated teetotaller wishing in heaven to get the pints he had refused while alive has a quite delicious irony.
13 Ten Years Ago
Words by Edwin Greenslade ‘Dryblower’ Murphy, c.1902 – music by Jeremy Levi, 2004One of the most famous of all goldfields poems, “Ten Years Ago” celebrates the transformation wrought by Bayley and Ford’s rich discovery at Coolgardie in September 1892.
14 Ode to WestraliaWords by ‘The Boulder Bard’, 1899 – music by Murray Dowsett, 2004
The Boulder Bard (identity unknown) believed that “Ode to Westralia”, his most famous and often-plagiarised work, was ‘malevolent enough to be humorous’. The Kalgoorlie Sun ‘paid me so well for it that I was saved for a week from those pangs of poverty’.
15 When I am Dead
Words by John Philip ‘Bluebush’ Bourke, 1914 – music by Jeremy Levi, 2004
Bourke (1857-1914) wrote this poem two days before his death. Ethel Harvey, a Kalgoorlie-based soprano, was so moved by the words that she set them to music and publicly performed the song during the Great War years.
