George Coppin was performing as Billy Barlow (among other characters) in Sydney when Griffin wrote "Billy Barlow in Australia" for the Maitland performance between plays. The fact that Griffin wrote the song can be verified by reading George Coppin's letter to his wife written during his American tour sometime later. Coppin said he met Ben Griffin, along with several other Australians. He reffered to him as Ben Griffin who wrote Billy Barlow in Australia. I can give the exact quote if you wish. By 1843 Billy Barlow, played by many different actors, had been on the stage in The British Isles and in America and also on the streets in London as a street-performer for some time. Jack Reeve performed as Billy on tour in America before 1836. Reeve was a London comic actor.