Kyabram Bush Poets is presenting bush poet Gregory North in his show ‘Banjo 125’ at the Kyvalley Hall on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2pm.
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Kyabram Bush Poets is presenting bush poet Gregory North in his show ‘Banjo 125’ at the Kyvalley Hall on Sunday, November 1 at 2pm.
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Gregory’s journey into bush poetry began at a café poetry night in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.
“In 2003, I went to the local café poetry night in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, and saw people performing and went, ‘Wow, why haven’t I seen this before?’” he said.
“It is a night that changed my life.
“It wasn’t an instant thing.
“I decided to get a bit more involved and then started to go to competitions and hone my skills, learn poems and began to write my own.
“And through competitions and performing, got better and eventually made it a career.”
The show marks 125 years since Banjo Paterson’s lecture tour through four states and New Zealand, where he spoke about his experiences as a war correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Argus.
Notably, Banjo never performed his lectures in Victoria.
“He was under the direction of a bloke named Robert Sparrow Smythe, and when they got to Victoria, they found that the Melbourne Town Hall was booked out by the Grand Opera, so they decided they’d go to Adelaide instead and come back later,” Gregory said.
“Well, they never came back.”
Kyabram Bush Poets is presenting bush poet Gregory North in his show ‘Banjo 125’ at the Kyvalley Hall on Sunday, November 1 at 2pm.
Photo by
Contributed
Gregory notes that Banjo was not known as a compelling speaker.
“By most accounts, Banjo had a conversational style, but he wasn’t very dynamic and he certainly didn’t have theatrical oratory skills, and some people said he was downright awful,” he said.
His show, however, takes a different approach.
“I’m not doing lectures on the Boer War,” Gregory said.
“I do an entertainment show about Banjo’s life and rhymes.
“The show goes for about two hours with an interval in the middle as well.
“For my show in Kyabram, people can expect lots of information about Banjo and his life, and their favourite poems recited and maybe some they haven’t heard of as well.
“I think it gives you a glimpse into what life was like back then and helps keep us informed and knowing about our history.”
Banjo 125 by bush poet Gregory North at the Kyvalley Hall, 534 Scobie Rd, Kyvalley, on Sunday, November 1 at 2pm.
For bookings or more information, call the Kyabram Bush Poets, Greg on 0418 599 924, or Mick on 0427 522 097.
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