Song 1 – A Different Fight
William McKenzie: born Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland 1869 – died Sydney, Australia 1947.
The McKenzie family emigrated to Queensland, Australia in 1884 where two of William’s uncles were already living. The eldest son and a big boy for his age, Will was often in trouble because he liked nothing better than a good fight. The most intriguing aspect of his story for me, was the ‘the Voice’ that he first heard at age seventeen, urging him towards the Salvation Army. This Voice was there to guide him in his ministry and protect him on battlefields in WW1, by giving succinct instructions.
I was intrigued by the image of this big, bluff man listening intently, while all hell raged around him. His story of meeting life’s challenges with energy and faith, seemed naturally to lend itself to a ballad-style account.
“War is nothing short of insensate folly. It is inconclusive in its results and devastating in its ultimate consequences. If there is any other European war after this, then civilisation is a myth and the people no better nor greater than their forebears of the Stone-age.” William McKenzie (Anzac Padre) Gallipoli 1915.
Read the song lyrics here.
Song 2 – Any News
It is 1833 and in the Swan River Colony – later to be named Western Australia – settlers are desperate for news of their Governor, Captain James Stirling who has gone at their request to London, to beg for assistance for the near-bankrupt colony.
Most of the settlers came woefully unprepared for the challenges to be faced. Mainly young and urban (the majority came from within an 80 mile radius of London) of the lower middle classes, many expected a new England where they could aspire to the lifestyle and wealth of the landed gentry they could never become part of in England. And while they attempt to survive in Stirling’s absence, many are incensed by a humanitarian speech given by a Scotsman called Lyon, who pleads with them not to pass the death sentence on Yagan and his compatriot Noongars, who have been leading attacks on settlers in retaliation for the killing of one of their own. He likens them to freedom fighters and calls them ‘prisoners of war’ rather than common criminals.
I hoped to convey in this song, something of the increasing desperation and fading hope of the settlers as they wait.
Read the song lyrics here.
Song 3 – Ayewis
Hughie Keatings (he always emphasized the ‘s’ on the end) born REG LOOKING FOR DATE Scotland, died 1999 Perth WA, was a regular in the bar at The Rosemount Hotel (run by John Little) in North Perth, where many daft times were enjoyed during the 1990s.
Backpackers and old-timers living upstairs, the Red Rose Café, sessions, bands in the beer garden, lots of Irish and all the gossip and intrigue that goes on in any community. Hughie took a ‘shine’ to me, sharing stories from his past and because we both enjoyed musical performance, we attended a variety of shows together. He even came to one of my performances – although he would have preferred me to sound like Lena Horne! Hugh was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 just before we left for a holiday in Scotland and died while we were away. “Ayewis” (Always/forever) was a word he often used and it had to be pronounced “Ayewiz”!
Song 4 – Blue China
“Women are like blue china; beautiful and fragile, but worthless once damaged or broken.” (Unidentified male emigrationist)
The British Ladies Female Emigration Society (BLFES 1849-1888) while acknowledging migration as inevitable, did not promote or even condone it, but lobbied Colonial governments to finance the employment of matrons on ships to provide protection and training for unaccompanied young women, arguing that these measures would make them better colonists, “whether as servant, wife, or mother”. Respectability was the most important requisite for domestic employment.
Matrons were middle-class women given free passage and a small stipend in return for assuming a most ambiguous role, in which she was responsible for protecting the morality of the young women, while being subordinate to some of the men who could be the greatest threat to it.
Some Matrons allocated a time for family members travelling on the same ship to visit her charges. In one letter home a young woman describes how daring young men willing to risk the Matron’s wrath, would pretend they had a female relative among the group.
I wrote a verse for each group in this story to speak. I imagined a young Scotswoman having been thoroughly berated by a Matron in the situation described, lying at night despairing of the unfairness of her future being ruined by somebody else’s prank.
Song 5 – Driven
John McDouall Stuart born Dysart, Fife 1815 – died London 1866
His parents died when he was in his early teens. Described as being delicate and small (height 168cm / weight 54kg). After graduating as a Civil Engineer from the Scottish Naval and Military Academy, he did not follow the family tradition of British Army Officer. At age 23, he sailed from Dundee for Australia on the maiden voyage of the barque Indus in September 1838. During the voyage, he had attacks of “vomiting blood”.
In Australia, Stuart made a total of six exploratory expeditions – the last from Adelaide to Darwin. He was hailed as a hero, but after the excitement waned, found himself without home or family, with permanent disabilities and health damaged by bouts of scurvy. He returned to Britain in 1864 and died a couple of years later. Only seven people attended his funeral in Kensal Green, London.
The house in Dysart where he was born is now a museum in his honour.
Bill Bryson the travel writer was in Perth promoting one of his books and an excerpt containing Stuart’s story was published in The West Australian newspaper. A bush-ballad-type song seemed appropriate, hinged on a story about an ‘S’ that Stuart carved in a tree.
Song 6 – Flora’s Fear
Flora MacKillop, nee MacDonald (mother of Australia’s first canonised saint, Mary MacKillop) born Fort William 1816 – arrived Port Philip 1837 – Died in a shipwreck 1886 LOOKING FOR INFO. ABOUT THIS
Flora met Alexander MacKillop in Melbourne and must have fallen ‘head-over-heels’ in love, as they were married 3 months later. Mary their first-born, was the eldest of eight children. Unfortunately, Alexander was regularly involved in some dispute with somebody, there being no shades of grey in his moral code. Among other disasters, this trait resulted in him being unable to sustain any form of employment for any length of time.
This song captures the moment when – in front of their family – Flora involuntarily expresses her fear for herself and the younger children should Mary follow her calling and leave home to form a community of Sisters. Her words suddenly reveal to Alexander, her poor opinion of him as provider.
Song 7 – Jupiter Botanicus
Robert Brown : Born Montrose, 1773 died London 1858 .
Sailed with Mathew Flinders as botanist on board the Investigator, on the first circumnavigation of the Australian continent from December 1801 – May 1805.
His task was to collect as many plants as possible and write them up in scientific journal form. When published in 1810, the Prodromus did not sell well, as lack of money and the size of the task resulted in a poorly presented volume, but despite this, Brown is remembered as the father-figure or king of plant identification and classification.
Another view of such plant collecting activity uses terms such as “horticultural looting”, “government sanction of plant theft”, global transportation of plants”. Robert Brown was also first to observe the ceaseless movement within pollen grains, in what came to be known as ‘Brownian Movement or Motion’.
I combined these three notions in writing this song.
Song 8 – Silly Bitch
Similar to that situation where couples have a baby with the strange notion that the experience will improve their relationship! This woman agreed to emigrate to Australia from Scotland, only to find that nothing much about the relationship improved and that her circumstances – minus family, friends and familiar surrounds had in fact worsened.
I have her just sitting – coming to terms with how daft and naïve she was!
Song 9 – Lament for Lost Names
Many indigenous people of this land we call Australia have Scottish and Irish names. Some may have chosen to take those names, but many were ‘given’ it. . History shows that there is something in human nature that causes the oppressed to become the oppressors given a change in circumstances.
Being of Scottish/Irish heritage, I have used the term ‘Celtic’ and a lament format to express my sorrow and the taking away of a person’s name as a metaphor for the taking away of a people’s way of life, by those who might have been expected to be more aware and compassionate – through their own or their forebears histories – of how they were affecting Aboriginal peoples.
Song 10 – New Beginnings
Peter Dodds McCormick: born Port Glasgow 1834? died in Waverley, Sydney 1916
Having completed an apprenticeship in Joinery, McCormick arrived in Australia in 1855. He worked at his trade for a time and it is also recorded that he worked on a project as a stonemason before attending Fort Street Model School for a month before being appointed teacher-in-charge at St Marys National School. He taught in a number of other schools until his resignation in 1885 then continued to give religious instruction in schools until 1916. He took a prominent role in various Scottish Societies.
His great love was music and soon after his arrival in Australia, he joined the congregation of the United Presbyterian Church as precentor. Determined to form a choir, he worked hard towards that goal, despite vigorous protests from the elder members of the congregation and in time, was gratified to see choirs established in the majority of the churches. In 1880 he conducted a total of 20,000 voices at a Sunday School Centenary demonstration. In 1907, McCormick was awarded £100 by the Carruthers Government for his patriotic composition, now the National Anthem ‘Advance Australia Fair’.
I combined carpentry and conducting imagery in the writing of this song and also looked at how migrants prosper best who can be open to new experiences and opportunities.