Kevin Markwell, indyNR.com
Workers involved in the refurbishment of Kyogle Memorial Hall have made an incredible discovery. When they pulled out an old timber cupboard in one of the dressing rooms, they discovered an old notebook sitting among the rat nests and dust.
As one of the workers flicked through the pages, he came across a few verses of The Man from Snowy River, which in itself was not unusual. But he was confused that some words, which are not part of the poem, had been crossed out and others had been written in.
He also wondered about the words The Banjo which were written at the end of the poem’s verses.
Another poem in the notebook titled Clancy of Kyogle took up several pages and again, had the sign-off of The Banjo.
The man handed the notebook to Paul Shields, who is the creative director for the Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival.
“I could not believe what I saw, when I was given that notebook. I was completely gobsmacked,” Paul said.
“I knew at once that this notebook must have belonged to Banjo Paterson. The notebook contains probably one of the earliest drafts of Paterson’s The Man from Snowy River, and for that reason, the notebook is priceless.
“But what’s also astonishing is that it appears that Banjo Paterson’s Clancy of the Overflow was originally going to be called Clancy of Kyogle. This is just incredible.”
Just when Paterson was in Kyogle is open to speculation, but Paterson scholar Professor Justin Credible suggested two possibilities.
“Paterson married his wife Alice Walker in Tenterfield in 1903, and so they may have travelled to Kyogle after the wedding. Alternatively, he may have stopped in Kyogle for a few days on his way to or from Winton, in central Queensland in 1895.”
The notebook is currently being examined by experts on authentication at the Australian National Library and it is hoped that its authenticity will be confirmed at this year’s Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival, May 17–18.
“If this notebook turns out to be genuine, it’s really going to put Kyogle on the map. I’d say the KMI Hall will be listed as a World Heritage Site,” Professor Credible said.
Find out more about the Kyogle Readers and Writers festival here.
This article appeared on indyNR.com on 1 April 2024.
