Austra-laise

C. J. Dennis

Synopsis

Written in 1908 this poem was entered in a National Song Competition conducted by the The Bulletin, it was awarded a special prize, together with a tribute by the judge that it would ‘win its way into every heart on the backblocks’. The original version contained only the first 4 verses. This longer version was printed in 1913 in Dennis’s first book Backblock Ballads and Other Versus, and in 1915 it was reprinted in leaflet form as ‘A Marching Song, Dedicated to the AIF’.

Where a dash (---) replaces a missing word, in 1908 the adjective ‘blessed’ may be interpolated. In cases demanding great emphasis, the use of the word ‘blooming’ is permissible. However, any other great Australian adjective may be used that suggests itself as suitable.