Andrew Barton ('Banjo') Paterson books and memorabilia

Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, CBE (1864 - 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales, where he spent much of his childhood. Paterson's more notable poems include "Clancy of the Overflow" (1889), "The Man from Snowy River" (1890) and "Waltzing Matilda" (1895), regarded widely as Australia's unofficial national anthem.

Paterson was born at the property "Narrambla", near Orange, New South Wales, the eldest son of Andrew Bogle Paterson, a Scottish immigrant from Lanarkshire, and Australian-born Rose Isabella Barton, related to the future first Prime Minister of Australia Edmund Barton. Paterson's family lived on the isolated Buckinbah Station near Yeoval NSW until he was five when his father lost his wool clip in a flood and was forced to sell up. When more... Paterson's uncle John Paterson died, his family took over John Paterson's farm in Illalong, near Yass, close to the main route between Melbourne and Sydney.

Paterson attended Sydney Grammar School from 1874 to 1880, where he excelled at academics and sports. After graduating from school, he studied law at the University of Sydney, and was admitted to the bar in 1886. However, he soon abandoned his legal career to pursue a career in journalism.

In 1885, Paterson began writing poems for the Bulletin, a popular Australian magazine. His poems were quickly popular with readers, and he soon became one of the most popular poets in Australia. In 1895, he published his first collection of poems, The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses, which was a huge success.

In addition to his poetry, Paterson also wrote a number of novels, short stories and articles. He also worked as a war correspondent during the Boer War and World War I.

Paterson is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential Australian poets. His poems have captured the spirit of Australian life and culture, and they continue to be popular with readers today. His work has been translated into many languages, and his poems have been set to music by many Australian composers.

He died in Sydney in 1941 at the age of 76. less...