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Contents
* Contents derived from the
Melbourne,
Victoria,:J. Roy Stevens
, 1945 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
-
Friends of the Bush : A Bush Playlet for Children,
Esther Paterson
(illustrator),
Betty Paterson
(illustrator),
single work
drama
children's
King Kangaroo, Queen Emu and the other native bush fauna and flora introduce themselves. Finally, King Kangaroo introduces their 'guiding star': 'Our good old friend/ the Native Black/ heard is true to us as gold,/ Although his country has been sold.'
'The Abo' explains his state of dispossession:
I have no land, I have no home;
No hunting ground 'neath heaven's dome,
No nulla, boomerang, or spear,
But memories of my land most dear;
And of the lovely scented gums.
But where I grew, the city hums.
Poor Aborigine am I,
I've nothing left to do but die.The play concludes with a full-cast refrain: 'He's nothing left to do but die.'
- Chimney Potsi"Chimney pots, chimney pots, all in a row.", single work poetry children's (p. 25)
- Dobbin Goesi"Jiggety, jiggety, jiggety, jog", single work poetry children's (p. 25)
- Look : It's Time!i"My face is round, my hands are long", single work poetry children's (p. 25)
- Jack Frosti"Jack Frost will bite your nose", single work poetry children's (p. 25)
- Pussy, Wash Your Facei"Pussy, wash your face", single work poetry children's (p. 26)
- Bunny, You Look Funnyi"Bunny Rabbit, when you run", single work poetry children's (p. 26)
- Housesi"Houses built of brick or wood", single work poetry children's (p. 26)
- Puppy, Chase Your Taili"Puppy, Puppy, chase your tail", single work poetry children's (p. 27)
- Tommy the Turtlei"Tommy the turtle was terribly tired", single work poetry children's (p. 27)
- Sammy the Snaili"Sammy, the Snail", single work poetry children's (p. 28)
- Tram-Man, Tram-Man, Ring the Belli"Tram-man, Tram-man, ring the bell.", single work poetry children's (p. 28)
- Greedy Me!i"A carrot, a pumpkin, an onion, a pea", single work poetry children's (p. 28)
- They Wag Their Tailsi"When Puppy wags his little tail", single work poetry children's (p. 28)
- The Foolish Mooni"The moon to the sun", single work poetry children's (p. 29)
- To Market We Canteri"To market we canter, we canter away", single work poetry children's (p. 29)
- Ma Kangaroo's Carry-Alli"Ma Kangaroo was very cross", single work poetry children's (p. 30)
- Hobbledee Wobbledee Bobi"The old Gypsy stole a fat hen she had caught", single work poetry children's (p. 30)
- Greedy Guyi"Greedy, Greedy, Greedy Guy", single work poetry children's (p. 30)
- Snailsi"The snails, those crawling, creeping chaps", single work poetry children's (p. 31)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Last amended 16 Mar 2009 12:06:42
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