Page 13 - eMuse Vol.9 No.08

Did You Know? Grandma’s

Propaganda

During World War II (as in any war) Sayings
propaganda was an effective weapon used
by everyone.
Sometimes it backfired. Due to Covid
Australian POWs held by the Japanese 19 we will
in Burma were told of a successful raid by
their troops on Sydney Harbour. It was, of be asking
course, intended to have a demoralising ef-
fect. But the devil is in the detail. Diggers protestors to
were highly amused when told the centre
pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was enough to be teamed up with such a cool work from home and
destroyed. calm and collected individual. to destroy their own
Sorenson continues, “Neddy, the tuck-
That is why the Sydney Harbour bridge er-bag, or nosebag, is of more importance property.
has only two pylons today. Come to think than the blue one, and by way of prec-
of it, it has only ever had two pylons. edence dangles in front, mostly hanging
Swaggy Differences from Matilda’s apron-strings.
“Billy sticks faithfully to the hand that
According to Edward S Sorenson in claims him.
1911, those in the know could tell where “The exact time when Swaggy, Bluey,
a swaggy came from by the way he carried Neddy and Bluey entered into partnership
his swag. would be hard to determine. Go where you
(He called the swag a “Matilda” — for will in the backblocks and no matter how
some reason — giving it and each of his few lonely, dry and hopeless the track, you will
possessions a personality and a gender.) not fail to meet the firm taking its usual
Sorenson wrote that, “The Matilda of walk and going to its customary picnic . . .”
Victoria is five or six feet long, neat and slim “Nearly everywhere in country parts the
and tapering at the ends. Her extremities term ‘traveller’ is more often heard than
are tied together and she is worn over the swagman’. It is applied to the footman, as
right shoulder and under the left arm — though he were the only genuine species of
much in the same way a lubra wears a skirt. the order that had a habit of moving about.
“The Banana-landers pet is short and “The man with horses, the man on the
plump. She is carried perpendicularly be- bike, and the men who trek per medium of
tween the shoulder-blades, and held in po- vehicles are just as much travellers as the
sition by shoulder-straps. Getting into this person who ‘pads the hoof’, but the bush
for a new chum, is like putting on a tight doesn’t recognise them in the same light at
skirt. all.
“The Cornstalk (the young countrymen “Track society has its castes and class-
in New South Wales) doesn’t care much es, it ramifications and complications, like
how he rolls his; he merely objects to bulk any other society; and its lowest ebb is the
and weight. Generally it is borne on a slant sundowner. Too many people are prone to
from right shoulder to left hip, his towel do- judge the fraternity by its low classes.
ing duty for shoulder-strap. He chucks it “The word ‘tramp’ to them is almost a
down as though it was somebody else’s lug- criminal suggestion; it came from the Old
gage, and takes it up as if he would much Country with a bad reputation, and is sel-
rather leave it behind. dom used by the native-born.
“I was once shocked to see Matilda bru- *Whaler: aka whale, wale, waler. Once
tally assaulted by a Murrumbidgee whal- they were boat owners travelling up and
er*. down the rivers. In time the term “whaler”
“Stopping at a camping spot, he pitched became contemptuously regarded as any
Billy aside with a growl, then he took hold swaggy who infested or frequented rivers
of Matilda by her tentacles, swung he high or river banks. They often camped for long
over head and banged her on the ground. periods. Much of their time was spent fish-
Then he propelled her violently across the ing. Catches were sometimes bartered for
landscape with his boot, unstintingly curs- other tucker and necessities.
ing he in the meantime for not being able # Blue one: Swags were often wrapped in
to travel on her own.” a blue (or nearly blue) blanket. They
Sorenson does not mention wheth- ware often referred to with names
er this swaggy had a dog or not. I’d like “Bluey” or “blue one”.
say not, which is a good thing for
a canine companion unlucky Wally

August 2020 eMuse 13