Banjo PatersonPrint Page 
The bust commemorates the poet Banjo Paterson (1864 -1941) who lived in the Yass district as a boy. The bust is a replica of the bronze original sculpted by Mrs Folks which was unveiled in Banjo Paterson Park on November 2nd, 1950. Banjo Paterson Park was renamed in his honour in 1948 and refurbishment works were undertaken in 2000.
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood.
Paterson's more notable poems include "Waltzing Matilda", "The Man from Snowy River" and "Clancy of the Overflow". When Paterson was a young boy, his family took over his uncle's farm in Illalong near Yass.
The parks committee of the Yass Municipal Council will select a site in Paterson Park, Yass, for the erection of a bronze bust of "Banjo" Paterson, the famous Australian poet. The original plaster cast of the bust was found in a hay shed near Wee Jasper and the Yass Council commissioned Mrs. Folks a Sydney sculptress to do the bronze casting. The cost of the bust landed in Yass was £68, including a granite base.
The Canberra Times (ACT), 27 December 1949.
Mrs. Alice Paterson, wife of the late Banjo Paterson, has accepted the Municipal Council's invitation to be present at the unveiling of a bust to her husband in the Banjo Paterson Memorial Park at 2 o'clock on Thursday, November 2. A letter accepting the invitation was read at Monday night's Council meeting. Mrs. Paterson and her daughter will arrive in Yass in time for lunch, and leave soon after the unveiling ceremony. Ald. Shannon said it would be a nice gesture if the Mayor and Deputy Mayor entertained Mrs. Paterson and her daughter at lunch. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and town clerk will arrange for town and district school children to be present, and invitations will be extended to the general public and all local bodies to attend.
Yass Tribune-Courier (NSW), 26 October 1950.
Location
| Address: | Meehan Street, Banjo Paterson Park, Yass, 2582 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -34.841507 Long: 148.911952 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Arts |
Dedication
Plaque:
BANJO PATERSON
This bust is a replica of the
bronze original which was
unveiled in Banjo Paterson
Park on November 2nd, 1950.
Plaque:
BANJO PATERSON
Banjo ( Andrew Barton) Paterson was born in 1864 near Orange and moved to Binalong at the age of 7 with his family. Binalong became the boyhood home for Banjo Paterson, balladist, journalist, lawyer, horseman, author of Waltzing Matilda and Australia's best loved writer whose affectionate memories of the Yass District inspired many of his most famous poems and stories. Young Banjo regarded the property Illawong and the village of Binalong as his home and constantly returned home until hs father's death in 1889. His father, Albert Bogle Paterson, is buried in the Binalong Cemetery. Although a qualified lawyer, Banjo`s talents were nationall recognised as a poet with the acclamation of The Man From Snowy River published in 1895 under his "nom de plume" The Banjo ( the name of one of his horses). In 1900 he accepted a commission to write as a war correspondent in the Boer War and in China to report the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion. He continued as a journalist in Sydney and then returned to the Yass District to farm in Coodravale, Wee Jasper. His farming exploits were interrupted in WW1 when in 1914 he joined in the Light Horse Brigade and served in Egypt as a Major commanding a unit training mounts. His skill with men and horses earned him great respect. After the war he returned to journalism and continued to write poems, tales and prose until his death in 1941, just short of 77 years of age. Banjo Paterson left a valuable heritage, vividly depicting many aspects of bush life, the country landscape and his love of horses. The beginning of some of his wonderful poems are displayed on the fence behind you.
Plaque:
BANJO PATERSON PARK
This park was aquired (sic) and constructed
in 1944 as Central Park. It was renamed in 1948
in honour Australia's famous writer and
poet , Banjo Paterson.
Refurbishment works were undertaken in 2000.
Nic Carmody - Mayor
Yass Shire Council
28th October
