Banjo festival a bush poetry bonanza!

The 2020 Banjo Paterson Australia Poetry Festival is just around the corner with a full week’s program to celebrate the life one of Australia’s most loved and admired bush poets.

Born in Orange, Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson’s poems are known all over the world and there would be few Australians who are unfamiliar with popular ballads such as Waltzing Matilda, The Man from Snowy River and Clancy of the Overflow.

The Banjo Paterson Australia Poetry Festival is held every year to coincide with the anniversary of the poet’s birth on 17 February, 1864.

The 2020 Festival runs from 15-22 February, kicking off with events at Gamboola (Molong) and the beautiful Rosebank Guesthouse at Millthorpe.

 On 16 February the Festival moved the Banjo Paterson, more than a Poet Museum, for a poet’s brunch and a chance to explore their outstanding collection of history and memorabilia. Join Cliff Crane, a respected authority on the works of Banjo Paterson, who will reveal a lifetime of work on the question 'Who was the man from Snowy River?" with a very startling conclusion.

On 17 February, the Orange and District Historical Society invite you join them celebrate Banjo’s birthday with a Twilight Barbecue in Robertson Park. There will be music, poetry, stories about Narrambla Vale and the families that lived there.

As always, one of the big highlights of the festival is the iconic Night Market with over 30 food and wine stallholders in Robertson Park. It is fun for all the family, with local musicians and poetry in the park! (Gold coin donation).

Immediately following the markets, the fun continues at the Lord Anson with the Poetry Brawl. An evening of light- hearted, humorous, irreverent prose or rap. Entrants must have written a poem that they can either read or perform which should go for 60 seconds.

Anyone thinking about entering the 2020 Banjo Paterson Australia Poetry Competition has until February 12 to do so.

The Banjo Paterson Australia Poetry Competition is a recital competition and are performed in person a on Saturday 22 February. All entries must be original works and should generally be rhyming verse.
“It might be traditional bush verse in terms of its rhyme and rhythm, but not as much in content,” said poetry competition organiser Len Banks. “It could be very modern… Banjo Patterson wrote about his life and times and what he experienced around the traps and that's what we'd like people to do now is to write about their own experiences.”

There are various categories from Open to Novices, high school and primary school student.

The week-long festival program concludes with Molong's annual signature event The Molong Banjo Paterson Festival Dinner. Enjoy fine local food, wine and entertainment under the stars from guest poet Carol Heuchan.

For the full festival program and details of the poetry competition visit www.banjopatersonfestival.com.au