G'day Art, Jerry and all,

There was quite a good tune to the Paterson poem that won the "New Tune to old Poem" section in the Bush Music Club Song and Verse contest, some years back. I will look it up and post it. Of course, it isn't really a carol, is it, but it is bloody good Christmas song.

Terminology:

A Paddy Melon is a Bennet's or Red-necked Wallaby (Wallabia Rufogrisius. Wallabys are a smaller sub-group of Kangaroos and the name Paddymelon is a rough English approximation of the Dharug (Sydney region Aboriginal) name. Just to confuse everyone, the name paddy melon is also used for an introduced pest - a sort of inedible melon vine from South Africa.

Orana is also from an Aboriginal language and means "morning" - in which sense it is used for the geographical region around Dubbo, in New South Wales' central region, or "welcome", which is the way that John Wheeler uses it in The Carol of the Birds.

Regards,

Bob Bolton