6 /10 1 Votes
First published in The Bulletin Preceded by "Behind the Scenes" Country Australia | 3/5 Allpoetry Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Publication date 16 December 1893 (1893-12-16) Similar Banjo Paterson books, Other books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A bush christening banjo patterson
A Bush Christening is a humorous poem by Australian writer and poet Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson. It was first published in The Bulletin magazine on 16 December 1893, the Christmas issue of that publication. It has been called "a rollicking account of how the traditional pre-occupations, whisky and religion, come together".
Contents
A bush christening by a b banjo patterson
Plot summary
Michael Magee is the father of a ten-year-old boy who has never been christened. Magee lives "On the outer Barcoo where the churches are few," and rarely sees a clergyman. By chance a priest passes by one day and he and Magee decide to christen the boy as soon as possible. The boy overhears the conversation, and, thinking that a "christening" is rather like the branding of cattle, decides to make a run for it. The priest chases after him but seeing that he has no chance of catching the runaway flings a flask of Maginnis's whisky which hits the boy on the head. Thereafter the boy is known as "Maginnis".