| "The Man from Snowy River" is possibly one of the best known Aussie poems, written by AB “Banjo” Paterson 1864-1941. I find this poem very rich in lessons for all of us. A bit of background for the poem, to whet your appetite: A colt, the offspring of a champion and worth a small fortune, had escaped and gone off with the wild horses. All the top horsemen gathered to retrieve the colt, including Clancy of the Overflow - the BEST horseman who ever held reins. Along with the other champion riders, comes a man from Snowy River, on a “weed” of a pony. He is ridiculed and told this is not a job for him, but Clancy speaks up for him and he rides.Clancy leads the chase, but the wild horses beat them to the mountains and we see all the riders gathered on the crest -[i]“When they reached the mountain's summit, even Clancy took a pull, It well might make the boldest hold their breath”[/i] Even Clancy - the champion - pulled back on the reins. No one could make that descent! Fear overtook them all. They were ready to give up.[i]“But the man from Snowy River LET THE PONY HAVE HIS HEAD,
And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
And he raced him down the mountain like a... |
