Ben at the Test: Faster at Gunn's Gully

Publication: Melbourne Herald
Date: 09 March 1929

melbin
fridy nite

deer sir
wel i ave saw a test
i no yure reders will ixcuse
me for not ritin more abowt it
yestidy but i was orful ixited for
the first half (½) our becos i was
lookin forward to sumpthink
reel thrillin it been me furst test
but only for the furst arf our
after that the more i looked
forward the more i giv up ope of
never seein nuthink

after the first arf our wen me
glad opes for sum innocent fun
begun to drupe an dy i cud ave
rit you ten (10) leedin artikles
six (6) columns of gardnin notes
an sevril luv letters an then ad
time over to ponder on the
mistrys of umin life an the swift
an terribul energy of a gaim of
drafts betwix bil smith an jim
airey on bills back vranda on a
hot sunday afternoon an long for
ome an the wild gaety of the ec-
tick bush
wots rong with me as i aint
unerstud wot crickit reely is
up at gunns gully we got a ole
fashioned ideer its a gaim
Crickit aint a gaim its a
solemn rite
if they had a put them flags
arf marst yestidy an sumone ad
struck up the ded march in sorl
i wud a stood up an bowed me
ed reverint an sed a prare for
the corps
after this i aint blamin the
barakers anny more for yellin
and goin on
Thay got to yell to keep one
anuther awake
wots the matter with me is i
got the rong ideer of crickit al-
together
it aint the crickiters wot
makes crickit its the crowd
its wot thay calls mob
sikology
jist eemagin to yerself if you
ad the melbin crickit groun all
to yerself an was sittin ther
aloan watchin jardeen maik
ninteen (19) runs in a hundrd
(100) an wun (1) minits wud you
sooner go on sittin or go over to
the botanik gardins and watch
the tempetchus snales gallopin
madly over the orticulcher

ide git reel giddy lookin at
snales after a our of mr jardeen
shuvin a slab of timber in frunt
of a lether stone
mind you i aint sayin nuthink
agen crickit or agen mr jardeen
an is feller stachers
the trubble is i got the rong
ideer of crickit
up in gunns gully we got to
taik a rest cure AFTER a
cricket match
but the uther methid as its
pints if you ad a late nite or sore
feet
owever i was orful glad to see
obbs maik is underd an i found
meself cheerin im with the rest
that lad has the cut of a reel
good bushman an ide like to see
im swingin a ax
anyways ime lernin an i
picked up a fey pints yestidy
from the uther fellers in the
stand
tomorrer ime going down with
a book an a cushin an
sumpthink in a bottl
them blokes nos ow to injoy a
reel crickit match an ime lernin
i spose you seen the scores in
the paper but if you dident it
dont matter.
i mite ave sumpthink ixitin
to tell you tomorrer
in the meantime i still
remane opeful but orful sore
hopin you are the saim

Yures truly
Ben Bowyang

ps that scorers got a orful soft
job aint e
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