We also carry the obituary of a folklore organisation, the Victorian Folklife Association.
On a happier note we report on news of the National Library's Folk Festival Fellowship, the recent successful AFN Forum at the NLA, together with other news and items of interest to folklorists.
We also attach our list of Affiliates and an application form for anyone who would like to affiliate with the AFN.
The next edition of Transmissions will be around August, please send in any contributions (notes, queries, reviews, brief articles, etc.) by email.
Please feel free to pass Transmissions on to anyone who might be interested. The publication now goes to well over 150 addresses around the country and around the world.
Graham Seal
Bill Wannan's main interest was in folktales, especially in the form that many consider to be characteristically Australian, the yarn. Most of his works revolve around this interest and provide (in addition to Ron Edwards', Bill Scott's and, more problematically, Bill Beatty's work in this field) much of the recorded evidence for the English-language folktale in Australia. His work on the Crooked Mick cycle of stories (1965) is especially valuable in this respect.
Bill Wannan was for many years a journalist with the iconic popular magazine, the Australasian Post, a job that, for 25 years, put him in an ideal position to collect yarns. Readers from across the country sent in the anecdotes, tall tales and straight-out lies they heard or told themselves and many of these were published in the magazine, which thus represents a significant resource for Australian folktale research.
In addition to his interest in the yarn, Bill Wannan also wrote on customs and language (Folklore of the Australian Pub, 1972; The Wearing of the Green, 1965, on Irish traditions in Australia), folk medicine (Folk Medicine, 1970) and aspects of Australian history, notably his history of Australian bushranging 'Tell 'em I Died Game' (1963) which is still the only reasonably comprehensive history of bushranging to have been published since Charles White's two-volume work of in the nineteenth century and Frank Clune's more selective work. He also published a dictionary of Australian folklore (1970), together with many anthologies of traditional humour, folk speech, short stories and folk heroes in a publishing history spanning half a century. In recent years some of his classic works have been republished by Penguin Books.
Bill Wannan's considerable achievements in folklore and literature were celebrated in the 1995 issue of Australian Folklore (10). The list of his published works covered eight pages of the journal and there is a considerable amount of information about his life included that will be invaluable for any future biographer.
Bill Wannan died on April 20, aged 87. His legacy will be the pleasure his books brought to many people, together with his considerable quantity of published works and his extensive papers, which will hopefully soon be safely and usefully housed in the National Library of Australia.
- Graham Seal
I would be grateful if any of you can advise me of any parodies of other national anthems /songs, or if you can point me in the direction of references or people who might be able to assist me.
- Keith McKenry - fangedwombat@bigpond.com
Here you can find the words of songs and poems (and listen to excerpts from
them) as well as hear railway workers talking about their lives in the industry and the possibilities for the future of rail.
- Mark Gregory
One of the saddest developments, in what seems to be the perpetual life and death struggle for government recognition and funding of Australian folk culture, was this year's closure of the Victorian Folklife Association.
Over a period of twelve years, the VFA contributed greatly to Victorian cultural life, through its folk concert and education programmes, quarterly Folklife newsletter and other activities designed to increase the profile and appreciation of Australian folk culture.
The VFA's crowning achievement was undoubtedly its organising of the International Folk Narrative Congress in Melbourne in 2001. For the first time, some 200 scholars from all around the world gathered here to discuss folk narratives in all their diversity. They, and us, were exposed to the richness of Australian folk culture and to the excellent research emanating from this usually hidden part of the world. Overseas delegates were greatly impressed by the success of the Congress, going by the feedback I have received.
On behalf of the Australian Folklore Association, I would like to offer our profound thanks to Director Susan Faine and her dedicated team for their very valuable contributions to fostering our Australian folklife, in Victoria and beyond. And for fighting the good fight despite the odds.
The elites may be doing well like usual whilst the everyday culture of the people continues to be ignored. But we will continue to fight back in whatever ways we can!
- (from Australian Folklore Association Newsletter, May 2003)
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Australian Children's Folklore Collection, Museum Victoria Bill Scott Bill Wannan (dec.) Bob Bolton Brian Dunnett Brian Shepherd Brian Wilkins Bruce Cameron Bob Rummery Bush Music Club Campbell Irving Chloe Roweth Chris Kempster Chris Woodland Chris Wright Christine Mimmocchi Colin McJannett Dani Rocca Danny Spooner Dave Hults David De Santi David Mulhallen Dawn Anderson Dieter Bajzek Folk Alliance Australia Graham Seal Gregan O'Leary Gwenda Davey Hugh Anderson Ian Russell Jan Orloff Jason Roweth Jenny Gall J D A Widdowson Jeff Corfield Jim Low John Harpley John Low J S Ryan June Factor |
Karl Neuenfeldt Katie Andrews Keith McKenry Kel Watkins Luisa Del Giudice Mark Cranfield Mark Gregory Mark Moravec Martin Chatfield Martin Goreing Mike Martin Moya McFadzean Museum of Childhood, Edith Cowan University Noris Ioannou Olya Willis Patrick Watt Peter Ellis Phyl Lobl Rob Willis Roger Hargraves Ron Brown Ron Edwards Ruth Hazleton Social Science Department, Aranmore Catholic College Steve Gadd Susan Faine Terry Clinton Top End Folk Club Valda Low Vic Orloff Victorian Folklife Association Warren Fahey Wendy Corrick Brian Wilkins Western Australian Folklore Archive |