I lit a thin green candle to make you jealous of me.

@DarkSideoftheMoon I'll let you join my gang.

@DarkSideoftheMoon Come all ye wild colonials And listen to my tale;
A story of bushrangers' deeds I will to you unveil.

@Bushranger ...go on

@DarkSideoftheMoon 'Tis of those gallant heroes, Game fighters one and all;
And we'll sit and sing, Long Live the King,
Dunn,Gilbert, and Ben Hall.

@Bushranger I have a feeling this isnt improvised ☺️

@DarkSideoftheMoon Here's the rest of it:

Ben Hall he was a squatter bloke Who owned a thousand head;
A peaceful man he was until Arrested by Sir Fred.
His home burned down, his wife cleared out,
His cattle perished all;
"They'll not take me a second time,'
Says valiant Ben Hall.

John Gilbert was a flash cove, And John O'Meally too;
With Ben and Bourke and Johnny Vane
They all were comrades true.
They rode into Canowindra And gave a public ball.
'Roll up, roll up, and have a spree,'
Says Gilbert and Ben Hall.

They took possession of the town, Including the public-houses,
And treated all the cockatoos And shouted for their spouses.
They danced with all the pretty girls And held a carnival.
'We don't hurt them who don't hurt us,'
Says Gilbert and Ben Hall.

They made a raid on Bathurst, The pace was getting hot;
But Johnny Vane surrendered After Micky Burke was shot,
O'Meally at Goimbla Did like a hero fall;
'The game is getting lively,'
Says John Gilbert and Ben Hall.

Then Gilbert took a holiday, Ben Hall got new recruits;
The Old Man and Dunleavy Shared in the plunder's fruits.
Dunleavy he surrendered And they jagged the Old Man tall -
So Johnny Gilbert came again
To help his mate Ben Hall.

John Dunn he was a jockey bloke, A-riding all the winners,
Until he joined Hall's gang to rob The publicans and sinners;
And many a time the Royal Mail Bailed up at John Dunn's call.
A thousand pounds is on their heads -
Dunn, Gilbert, and Ben Hall.

'Next week we'll visit Goulburn And clean the banks out there;
So if you see the troopers, Just tell them to beware;
Some day to Sydney city We mean to pay a call,
And we'll take the whole damn country,'
Says Dunn, Gilbert, and Ben Hall.

It's from "The Ballad of Ben Hall" by that great Australian poet, Anonymous 😁

@DarkSideoftheMoon [quote]I have a feeling this isnt improvised [/quote]

It sure ain't, lol.

@DarkSideoftheMoon We have a thing about glorifying our outlaws over here. I guess you've heard of Ned Kelly, he's probably our most famous bushranger.

@Bushranger that's really good. I enjoyed it! 👏

@Bushranger I should really research this stuff. I was aware of the criminals England sent off to Australia. Learned about that from buying 19 crimes wine

@DarkSideoftheMoon There's quite a few poems and songs about bushrangers. "The Wild Colonial Boy" is probably my favourite.

@Bushranger I'll have to find a documentary about it. Fascinating

@DarkSideoftheMoon [quote]I was aware of the criminals England sent off to Australia.[/quote]

Many of us don't consider them criminals, but the cream of British society. I mean to say, we can't have come from the lower classes now, can we.

Interestingly, not that long ago (I'm talking probably over 50 years ago), it was hard to find anyone who admitted to having a convict ancestor. Now it's almost considered a badge of honour. Funny how times change.

@Bushranger I'm sure not everyone from Australia started off with the criminals, maybe some brits came over to build a life too but what do I know? Lol. You have to be proud of your ancestry, it makes you who you are

@DarkSideoftheMoon 'Tis of a wild Colonial boy, Jack Doolan was his name,
Of poor but honest parents he was born in Castlemaine.
He was his father's only hope, his mother's only joy,
And dearly did his parents love the wild Colonial boy.

Come, all my hearties, we'll roam the mountains high,
Together we will plunder, together we will die.
We'll wander over valleys, and gallop over plains,
And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down with iron chains.


He was scarcely sixteen years of age when he left his father's home,
And through Australia's sunny clime a bushranger did roam.
He robbed those wealthy squatters, their stock he did destroy,
And a terror to Australia was the wild Colonial boy.

In sixty-one this daring youth commenced his wild career,
With a heart that knew no danger, no foeman did he fear.
He stuck up the Beechworth mail coach, and robbed Judge MacEvoy,
Who trembled, and gave up his gold to the wild Colonial boy.

He bade the Judge "Good morning," and told him to beware,
That he'd never rob a hearty chap that acted on the square,
And never to rob a mother of her son and only joy,
Or else you may turn outlaw, like the wild Colonial boy.

One day as he was riding the mountain side along,
A-listening to the little birds, their pleasant laughing song,
Three mounted troopers rode along—Kelly, Davis, and FitzRoy.
They thought that they would capture him—the wild Colonial boy.

"Surrender now, Jack Doolan, you see there's three to one.
Surrender now, Jack Doolan, you daring highwayman."
He drew a pistol from his belt, and shook the little toy.
"I'll fight, but not surrender," said the wild Colonial boy.

He fired at Trooper Kelly, and brought him to the ground,
And in return from Davis received a mortal wound.
All shattered through the jaws he lay still firing at FitzRoy,
And that's the way they captured him—the wild Colonial boy.

"The Wild Colonial Boy" by Andrew (Banjo) Patterson. I quite like a lot of Banjo's poetry but I prefer Henry Lawson for prose.

@DarkSideoftheMoon I know that I don't have any convict ancestory. I'm second generation on both sides. Father's family from Wales and mother's from Scotland.

@Bushranger amazing! So was it like a Robinhood thing or like a wild west thing?

@Bushranger my grandmother has royal blood from king Edward and Isabella of France

@DarkSideoftheMoon Ah, m'lady, that explains your beauty and grace.

@Bushranger graceful isnt what I'd describe myself as but thank you! My husband is doing my ancestry and hes more surprised than I am.

@DarkSideoftheMoon https://www.telelib.com/authors/L/LawsonHenry/indexalphashort.html

This is a collection of Lawson's short stories, well worth a read. They are an excellent picture of life in Australia in the 1800s.

@Bushranger ok I'll take a gander

@DarkSideoftheMoon I've often thought about doing our genealogy, but too lazy, lol. My wife is at least third generation, but I'm not too sure.

@DarkSideoftheMoon I have to say that I'm somewhat of a fan boi when it comes to Lawson. In my opinion, he is one of the great short story writers of all time. His life history is also interesting.

@DarkSideoftheMoon This discussion has certainly veered away from an obscure Lenard Cohen song, lol.