Talk: Tim Hunter – A.B. "Banjo" Paterson & Henry Lawson

Time Hunter will be speaking about two of Australia's best-known poets.

Henry Lawson and AB ‘Banjo’ Paterson made their marks in Australian culture and literature with their classic bush poetry—painting the face of a young nation—but behind the stories, poems and legends lie two men who despite having many similarities in early life took very different paths in life.

Both born in the 1860’s in Australia to immigrant parents the two boys grew up in the New South Wales country sharing both the romanticism and desperation the Australian bush (in the gold rush era) could provide. Both received real life experience in the bush. But once they reached their teen years their paths started to diverge. Paterson was educated at one of the best schools in the colony and made a career in law while Lawson left school early to go to work with his father in his carpentry and construction business.

Sadly by their 30’s the two poets lives had taken markedly different turns and while Paterson passed up his successful career in law to write, edit and serve as a war correspondent, Lawson slid in to alcoholism and depression.