Page 7 - eMuse Vol.9 No.04_Classical

even to the horse Oracle panick- Heritage and Water Panels on
ing and breaking loose. April 19, 1993.
AFTERMATH & RECOGNITION • Holthouse, Hector. Illustrated
Billy married Johanna Jar- History of Brisbane. Frenchs
dine in 1902. He later moved Forest NSW: A.H. & A.W. Dick Turpin
jumping
to Brisbane and worked in the Reed, 1982.
tramways. He died in 1934 and • Campbell, Ellis. Letter, Dub- Hornsey
is buried at Toowong cemetery. bo, 2009. Tollgate by
Although Billy has many living George
relatives, the only photo extant • Ewart, Merv. The Story of Cruikshank
shows him as an old man. It is North Pine Station. Strath-
believed that a fire at his home pine: North Pine Country Park
destroyed family photographs. Board of management, 1993.
In 1999 the film Deluge pro- • Pine Rivers Shire Council.
duced by Brian Benson and Tracks and Times: A History of
Denise Bender celebrated Bil- the Pine Rivers District. Pine
ly’s ride, and can be purchased Rivers: Whittington Print, 1988.
from Toogoolawah News. At • Mateer, Johanna. Letters to
least twelve poems have been the Editor. The Courier-Mail:
written about the ride, Three 25 November, 1958.
Billy Mateer poetry competi- • Somerset, Henry. The 1893
tions have been held, with priz- Flood. Esk Record: Saturday 8
es for two presented by Billy’s June, 1932.
grandson Ron Mateer, now sad-
ly deceased. The winners were • Somerset, Henry. Trombone’s Paul Revere’s
Ron Liekefett, Ellis Campbell Troubles (Experiences of a Ride
and Carol Heuchan. Queensland Jackeroo in Early
In 2009 I commissioned Pastoral Days).Edited by Den-
a painting by Pam Hopkins, a ise Bender . Salisbury, Bris-
multi-awarded North Coast art- bane: Boolarong Press, 2010.
ist, which reveals all the drama Editor’s Footnote:
of the ride. The first unveiling in Billy Mateers story is a much
print form took place in Billy’s neglected highlight of Austral-
home territory at the tourist ia’s history . In some circles it
centre in Eidsvold in June. Billy is billed as “The Greatest Story here and there in this one . In the emails recently shared
had worked at Dalgangal Sta- Never Told”. The amazing thing Without going into too much with Tony, I learned that Luna-
tion nearby. is that it all really happened . detail of where Longfellow de- tic got bogged on the return
It was then unveiled at the The facts can be verified in the parts from fact let it be sufficient journey. All efforts to free him
Pine Rivers Museum at Old references Tony gives and other to note that Paul was not the failed and he was put down.
Petrie Town on 9 November sources . only rider that night and that he At the end of his ride one
2009. Billy had ridden down When it comes to great rides rode on a well defined roadway would think Billy had to be
the Dayboro Road right outside in history two immediately for about 12.5 miles. (See Derek proud of his epic achievement.
the museum to the North Pine come to mind: W. Beck’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” Perhaps he was and didn’t let
railway station which has now English Highwayman Dick on the Journal of the American on .
been relocated to Old Petrie Turpin; and, Revolution website.) In Brian Benson’s movie of
Town. The final unveiling took American patriot Paul Revere . On the other hand, as clearly the event, “Deluge”, Billy just
place in The Somerset newspa- In legend perpetuated by illustrated in Tony’s story, Billy found himself a quiet corner
per on 2 December 2009. William Harrison Ainsworth Mateer’s epic ride was for real for a nap before going home. It
Despite the lapse of more novel “Rookswood” written and it happened right here in our seems his attitude was “this is
than a century, Billy is now set almost 100 years after Dick’s own backyard. just another day in the life of a
to achieve long-overdue recog- execution in 1739. I’m often amused by the stockman.”
nition, and ride into the history The classic gallop is believed names of Billy’s horses. They As a result of the floods
books for the true Australian to have been from London to seem to fit the scenario so well mentioned in this story Henry
and world hero he was. York overnight. That’s an unbe- one could be forgiven for think- Somerset successfully cam-
By Tony Hammill. lievable distance of two hundred ing they’re a joke added into paigned for a dam to be built to
References: miles (320 km). In some tellings the yarn sometime later. hold back future flood waters.
The horse Billy rode was
The dam was called the Somer-
• Brisbane Courier. Friday 3 of the story Dick’s noble mare, called Lunatic. That fits the set Dam and it officially opened
February 1893. The Upper Black Bess, died near the end of a mood for the job. The pack in 1953.
Brisbane Waters (p .5 .) journey which is not only impos- horse which departed with him Getting the dam started was
• Bundaberg Mail and Burnett sible, it never happened . escaped during the river cross- a difficult process due to oppo-
Henry Wadsworth Longfel-
Advertiser. Monday 20 Febru- low’s classic poem “Paul Revere’s ing at the start of the ride. That sition in government ranks. By
ary 1893. The Floods. Ride” has often been taken for horse was called Oracle. I can an odd coincidence news of its
• Cossins, G. Ghosts of the granted as historical fact. How- never suppress the mischievous approval with a start date for
1893 Flood. Technical paper ever, good old Henry deliberately thought, he must have known construction came on the same
presented at a meeting of the exercised a bit poetic licence something . . . day as Billy’s death notice.
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