An
Australian poet and
bush balladist who wrote the song
Waltzing Matilda and a collection of poems contained in
The Man From Snowy River and Other Stories (1895). A lover of travel, adventure and sport, Paterson's favourite pastime was horse-riding.
Born Andrew Barton Paterson in 1864 near Orange,
New South Wales, Banjo Paterson spent his early years on his family's
station, where he became familiar with the life of drovers, teamsters and other
bush workers.
While practising as a
solicitor, Paterson regularly submitted
ballads to the
Sydney Bulletin under the pseudonym of "The
Banjo", which was the name of a racehorse owned by his family. It was here that he gained recognition for such classics as
Clancy of the Overflow and
The Man From Snowy River. Paterson finally published these in a book, which sold out almost immediately. In 1902 he released another book,
Rio Grande's Last Race and Other Verses.
Paterson realised that writing was his forte, and so gave up law to become a
journalist. He became the
Boer War correspondent for the
Sydney Morning Herald, and later an editor for the
Sydney Evening News.
Banjo Paterson's optimistic and idealistic works' are still popular today.
The Man From Snowy River has been the subject of two film adaptations (1920 and 1982) and a television series. His song,
Waltzing Matilda is largely regarded as Australia's unofficial National
Anthem.