G'day Davo,

I was keeping down the tune side of the story ... and not getting into speculation about the events that spurred Paterson to write the poem. By his own account, Paterson heard the tale of the death of Hoffmeister, at Combo Waterhole ("The Billabong") from Bob MacPherson as well as hearing the local expression "Waltzing Matilda" - and was "inspired" to write a poem about it.

Several of those looking at the events suspect there was a lot more behind that. As it happened, the Magistrate at the inquest into Hoffmeister's "suicide" was ... Bob MacPherson. The police involvement comprised three local troopers - a sergeant and two constables. There is a possibility that Paterson's poem uses these images, along with the German-derived local term for carrying a swag, as an oblique suggestion that MacPherson was covering up something not quite like suicide.

Whatever his motives or meaning - it probably helped erode his welcome at Dagworth. (It is interesting that several of Paterson's other poems seem to have a dig at persons with names very like "MacPherson!). Paterson became very vague about the details of one of his most popular poems, in later years. In the late 1930s, he told a friend of my father that he " ... could not remember writing it ... but the royalties were fine." At other times he had not trouble remembering writing it - but he did sell rights to the poem along with "a heap of rubbish" around 1903.

Very interesting, but not too illuminating.

Regards,

Bob Bolton