Almanac Poetry: Billabong Creek, near Forbes, May 5, 1865
Ben Hall’s Death. [Wikimedia Commons.]
Billabong Creek, near Forbes, May 5, 1865
Wild, lawless days
always come to an end.
Hall’s gang fell apart.
May 5, 1865,
Ben was camped near a creek
twelve miles out of Forbes.
At dawn, a childhood friend,
black tracker, Bill Dargin,
led police to where he slept.
Ben’s horse snickered,
waking him,
but he didn’t have a chance
as the police opened fire.
Clutching at a sapling, he cried,
“Shoot me dead, Billy!
Don’t let them take me alive!”
Read more from Kevin Densley HERE
Kevin Densley’s latest poetry collection, Please Feed the Macaws…I’m Feeling Too Indolent, is available HERE
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His fifth book-length poetry collection, Please Feed the Macaws ... I'm Feeling Too Indolent, was published in late 2023 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, which was published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
I have a fascination with bush rangers. The role they played in “fixing” utterly corrupt police (many enquiries after their deaths, particularly Ned Kelly, led to big police reforms), in shining a light on society’s bigotry and inequalities, and their will to do something about it. Yes, some were just plain old, violent criminals. I get that.
There is currently a silly argument that a new Ned Kelly picture book would be dangerous for kids to read. Absurd nonsense.
Hey KD
Yesterday was World Bad Poetry Day. Nothing ‘bad’ about your latest offering – I enjoyed it quite a lot.
I particularly loved your final near rhyme – ‘cried’/’alive’.
Lonely old spot where Ben Hall drew his last breath. We were there last year.
Poor old Ben wanted out from the game but was betrayed. The Streets Of Forbes tells the sad tale so well.
Much about Ben Hall we’ll never know but he seemed a decent fellow who didn’t get he breaks in life he needed.
Glen!
Thanks, Dips, for your comments. Like you, I have a fascination with bushrangers, as is obvious from quite a number of my poems. Not sure why, really, but at least part of it is associated with two of my major interests – history and what may be termed ‘true crime’. Also, I’m.intruiged by the fact that many of my ancestors lived in the colonial Australian places frequented by bushranging types – there was an instance when old Uncle Harry Densley had a protracted physical fight with a central Victorian bushranger, circa 1870, and ultimately won the fight after both parties had gone very close to killing each other. The fight was widely covered in newspapers of the era.
Thank you, Karl – glad you enjoyed my poem. I liken this one to a brief – but hopefully interesting and effective – sketch. That said, some of my previously published bushranging poems are narrative work running to multiple pages.
Thanks for your comments, Glen. I’ve looked at present day photos of Billabong Creek, as well as reading various narrative accounts (including newspaper reports from Hall’s era) of Hall’s death, as well as its representation in newspaper art and paintings.
Anyway, back to roughly where I started in this comment, l agree with your point about the nature of Billabong Creek.
Just red your poem Kevin. I too have been fascinated about our bushrangers. As a lad I was able to read many of Frank Clunes’ historical novels. I am also the owner of two brilliant hard back graphic novels, researched and brilliantly drawn, by my favourite Australian illustrator, the late Monty Wedd, Ned Kelly and Bold Ben Hall. I completed reading the Ned Kelly one a while back and at the moment I am just over the half way mark of Bold Ben Hall . As I really enjoy the detail in Monty’s drawing, I’m taking my time to appreciate it. Poor old Ben, he couldn’t seem to take a trick.
Thanks so much for your input here, Fisho. Pleased your share a fascination with bushrangers. I collect books about them, and also learn a great deal via the online resource, Trove, where one can read many newspaper accounts about bushrangers from the era in which they were active.
Kevin, I highly recommend both Monty’s works. Just recently I saw most of a film on Hall’s life on SBS, it also was most interesting.
Thanks,. Fisho, I have some familiarity with Monty’s work – I’ll check it out further. There is an Australian feature film called The Legend of Ben Hall (2016) that is worth checking out, too.