Australian folk song lyrics collected by Bill Harney and Ion Idriess

MLMSS 11955

fonds

before 1963

9663682

0.01 metres of textual material (1 folder) - manuscript, typescript

Ion Llewellyn Idriess (1889-1979), author, travelled extensively throughout rural and outback New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory while working at various jobs, exploring and researching for his many books and articles. Many of his books celebrated Australian heroes and the survival skills of northern Australian Aboriginals.

William Edward (Bill) Harney (1895-1962), author and bushman, worked from the age of 12 on cattle stations and as a boundary-rider in outback Queensland and the Northern Territory. In the 1940s he was a patrol officer and Protector of Aborigines in the government’s Native Affairs Branch and was later appointed ranger at Ayers Rock-Mount Olga National Park. His published works reflected his life experiences in the Northern Territory, particularly with Aboriginal Australians.

References:
Croft, Julian. “Idriess, Ion Llewellyn (1889–1979)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography. Accessed 4 August 2023. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/idriess-ion-llewellyn-6786/text11739.
Kennedy, Jennifer J. “Harney, William Edward (Bill) (1895–1962)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography. Accessed 4 August 2023. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/harney-william-edward-bill-10428/text18485.

The donor purchased the collection from Sydney Rare Book Auctions, Lot 22, 12 December 2020, where it was offered for sale as part of the Idriess Estate.

Lyrics of Australian folk songs sent by Bill Harney to Ion Idriess and augmented by Idriess. Includes:

‘The old bullock dray’, ‘On the banks of the Condamine’, ‘Hi hi hicky hicky hay’, ‘There was a little cocky’, ‘Who tied me dog loose’, ‘Yer bound for Botany Bay’, ‘To old Shanghai’, ‘The old bark hut’ and ‘Wild colonial boy’, with note titled ‘About these songs’, possibly a preface for a planned publication. 16 pages, manuscript, signed W. E. Harney.

‘The old bullock dray’, ‘The old bark hut’, ‘Who tied me dog loose?’, ‘The wild colonial boy’, ‘Poor feller me’, ‘Dying stockman’, ‘My sweetheart Jennie’. 11 pages, manuscript, in the hand of Ion Idriess.

Various typescript versions of the lyrics, originals and carbon copies with manuscript annotations and corrections.

Copyright restrictions may apply:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, and Courtesy copyright holder