Page 17 - eMuse Vol.9 No.09

By 1868 there were thirteen Queensland mills producing rum.
Thirteen was not a lucky number for some as few of them don’t
exist anymore. In my younger days (from the 1960s on) if memory
serves me well, there were only three rum producers left: Bunda-
berg (of course); Normandy at Strathpine (about 22 km north of
Brisbane); and, Beenleigh (35 south of Brisbane).
A quick glance at the bottle shop shelves anywhere in Australia
back then suggested there were many more varieties available.
Appearances can be deceiving. These distilleries sold bulk over-
proof (OP) rum which had been subjected to various recipes and The Red Rum of Bundy
then rebottled under different labels. In truth most of it was good
old Bundy in spite of what dedicated rum drinkers at the time often by Dan Sheahan
claimed .
(When he sold his pub, a mate’s dad continued to buy OP rum
from direct the Bundaberg distillery. He used his own recipe to It’s strange how the sons of all nations will toast
convert it to the usual 33% -- except on those occasions when he Their own native in the booze they love most.
couldn’t wait and drank it neat . . . ) For thirsty Sinn Feiners of Erin the Green
I believe on those rare occasions where there was actually a Are partial to porter and pots of Poteen.
taste difference in so called varieties, it was due to the conversion The sons of the Saxons their tummis regale
recipe used by local “distillers” and even the odd publican. (I use On “liquor of Lunnon” — John Bass’s brown ale.
the word “Odd” as a mark of respect to my mate’s dad. By the way, The dew of the Hielands in Scotia is known
he did give me his secret recipe in a rum drinking session . I remem- For strength and a flavour that’s all on its own.
ber him doing it but for some reason not the recipe.) But the sons of Australia where gums trees grow tall
Bushies and folklore have many stories about a flotilla of un- Vow Red Rum of Bundy, the best drink of all.
ethical brews sold by unscrupulous publicans of our past. Some Let Dutchies foregather and squander their tin
of them could kill people as surely as devils or other demons. (A On insipid toddies of sugar and gin.
reminder of rum’s original name perhaps.) “Vin Blanche” and “Vin Rouge” please the “poilus of France
Rum References in eMuse past: And “Vodka” in Russia makes Bolsheviks dance.
“Rum Heritage”, eMuse, June 2015 The German can yodel and toast his fraulein
“Polar Bear on the Bundy label”, eMuse, June 2015, On Lager and Pilsen — good brews of te Rhine
“Lambing Down” eMuse, November 2019 and December 2019, But by our own tonic we’ll stand or we’ll fall
Poem: “Billy Brink” eMuse, September 2017, and, The Red Rum of Bundy the best drink of all.
“Bundaberg Rum” eMuse, June 2015.)
This fair land of freedom should war ever com
We’ll put our trust in our own native rum.
‘Twill steady our nerves and ‘twill stick to our ribs
Make strong men of wasters and brave men of squibs.
With a tummy full each we’ll not care a cuss
For all Hitler’s hordes or the millions of Muss.
Though rifles be few and our numbers be small
With the Red Rum of Bundy we’ll conquer all.
Let Fritz have his lagerand Frenchie his wine
Good luck to them both — they can have for mine.
I’ll stick to the booze of my own native sod
The life giving juice that’s fit for a God.
And when I line up for that final parade
Pirates carrying rum for the purchase of slaves. To meet with St Peter I’ll not be afraid —
From the “Pirates Own Book” by Charles Ellms 1837. In the box where I’m sleeping my last —
I’ll take off the cork and give St Peter a sniff
Footnote: He’ll stroke his bald head and stroke his long ziff.
Back when educators thought history was important enough He’ll say, Come inside with me Danny Ashore Asthore
to teach in schools, every Australian student knew about our infa- ‘Tis the devil’s own pity you never brought more.”
mous Rum Trade. So much so, it likely many of us never realised For even the Saints up in heaven will fall
the colony of New South Wales was not the only place where such For the Red Rum of Bundy — the best drink of all.
a thing happened .
In the Triangular trade of the XVII Century is typical. African
slaves were transported to the West Indies and sold for Molas-
ses. The molasses was transported to Newfoundland where it was
made into rum. That rum was then sent to Africa to pay for a fresh
consignment of human misery who were victims of slavery.
For the pirates and other human vermin involved it was highly
profitable and led to Britain’s Sugar Act of 1764. Some historians
drop hints that it helped the cause of the American revolution.
From eMuse, June 2015

September 2020 eMuse 17