Christina's Matilda by Edel Wignell and Elizabeth Botte
IP Kidz, 2011. hbk ISBN 9781921479878. ebk ISBN 9781921479885.
This fascinating title by Edel Wignell focusses on the story behind
the story of our unofficial anthem, Waltzing Matilda. As
Wignell asks, why is Paterson's role in the creation of this song so
well-known when that of Christina Macpherson is almost unknown, even
though it is just as vital? Wignell then tells us the story of
Macpherson beginning with an encounter with bushranger Daniel 'Mad'
Morgan at the family home of Peechelbar in Victoria, her childhood
in a large wealthy Melbourne household, and her eventual meeting
with A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson at the home of her brother on a station
on the Diamantina River about 128km from Winton, Queensland.
Evenings were a time for entertainment - Paterson sharing his poetry
and Macpherson playing the piano, including a tune called Craigielee that
she had heard at the Warrnambool Races some time before and which
had stuck in her mind. Paterson was well aware of the plight of many
shearers displaced by the Great Shearers' Strike in 1894 and the
stories accompanying the hardships they endured, and it wasn't long
before he penned the words of Waltzing Matilda to fit the
tune. Wignell then traces the story of the song through to its place
in the Australian identity today, including the work of Richard
Magoffin who relentlessly tracked the song's origins, eventually
being able to identify Christina's contribution in 1983.
The story is accompanied by a variety of illustrations including
paintings and drawings, maps, photos, posters and programs, letters
and sheet music, each adding to the authenticity of the story and
providing insight into the times that inspired the lyrics and the
history of the song. Perhaps the most interesting is a facsimile of
an extract from a letter from Christina which explains how the song
came to be. Each sepia page is bordered with exquisite line drawings
by Elizabeth Botte which enrich and enhance the story.
While it is written in a style and language accessible to a newly
independent reader, its use of primary sources to support the text
would be a great way to introduce the importance of these sorts of
sources to support research and provide evidence, an integral
element of the historical skills strands of the Australian History
Curriculum for Year 7.
This is a resource that needs to be on library shelves and a story
that needs to be known by everyone old enough to sing the song!
Barbara Braxton