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Culture Melbourne

Where’s Clancy now?

Maybe things haven’t changed all that much in the last 119 years.

Swanston and Collins Streets, 2008

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle
Of the tramways and the buses making hurry down the street,
And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,
Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

— from Clancy of the OverflowBanjo Patterson, 1889

By Daniel Bowen

Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.

6 replies on “Where’s Clancy now?”

Vaguely uninteresting fact about me #287: I used to be able to recite ‘Clancy of the Overflow’ when I was in grade six. Now I can’t get past “Clancy’s gone to Queensland drovin’ and we don’t know where he are”

Hehe Trish I was the same with the man from snowy river. There was movement at the station…

My mum always joked about all the tried and noted riders having ‘mustard’ at the station.

I’ve been reading Banjo’s peoms to my daughters (4 & 8) because I really enjoyed learning them when I was young, but they don’t seem up to it just yet. Maybe if I added that the ‘colt from old Regret’ was on a Saddle Club ranch, that might help.

I remember learning them in Grade 7 and analysing each line, the teacher asking us what we though each word mean’t.

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