Swagman in Sepia

"Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong

Under the shade of a coolabah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
This song is sung by an Australian, almost as the National Anthem

The words to this bush ballad, were written by the famous Australian poet Banjo Patterson in 1895. They originated from a real life story of an event that happened at a sheep station called Dagworth near Winton in Queensland the year before.
Some shearers went on strike, setting the wool shed on fire and killing many of the sheep. One of these men ran away rather than be captured.
He killed himself at the Combo waterhole, after being followed by the station owner and police.

A Swag is a bedroll.
Matilda is the affectionate name given to the swag by the Swaggy.
Waltzing, was how the swaggy referred to walking along with his swag tied with a string on both ends, so it hugged his body like a dancer.
A Swaggy or Swagman is a homeless wanderer. A man who roamed Australia working for a meal and sometimes a place to sleep.
A Billabong is a waterhole
A billy is a tin pot used to boil water for a cup of hot tea.

As a little girl if I spotted a swaggy approaching from over the hill near our farm I'd run to tell my mother. Our home was closer to the road than most and seemed to entice them in. Mum took advantage of the help by getting a pile of wood chopped. While they did this she fixed a tray of good food to eat.

Later, the man sat on our garden bench under eucalyptus trees at the side of the house.  While he rested and enjoyed his food, I sat close by and watched.

I don't remember any conversation accept when my mother came out to make sure he had enough. I remember the heavy leather boots and rough material of his trousers. I haven't seen one for years, but they live on in our songs. 

Most walked, but the one in this photo, had a bike.

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to to his life?" 

Matthew 6:25