Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)

Subject: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)
From: Daniel Kelly
Date: 08 Jun 25 - 07:07 PM

FLAG OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS
By Henry Lawson

Sons of Australia, be loyal and true to her —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
Sing a loud song to be joyous and new to her —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
Stain'd with the blood of the diggers who died by it,
Fling out the flag to the front, and abide by it —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!

See how the toadies of Austral throw dust o'er her —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
We who are holding her honour in trust for her —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
See how the yellow-men next to her lust for her,
Sooner or later to battle we must for her —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross.

Beg not of England the right to preserve ourselves,
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross,
We are the servants best able to serve ourselves,
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross.
What are our hearts for, and what are our hands for?
What are we nourished in these southern lands for?
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross.

Shall we in fear of the Dragon or Bruin* now
Keep back the flag of the Southern Cross?
Better to die on a field of red ruin now,
Under the flag of the Southern Cross.
Let us stand out like the gallant Eureka men —
Give not our country the sorrow to seek her men —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!

See how the loyal are storing up shame for us
Under the light of the Southern Cross.
Never! Oh! never be coward a name for us —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
England's red flag will bring hatred and worse to it,
Murder and rapine hath brought a black curse to it;
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!

Have we not breasts for the bullets of thunderers?
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
Have we not steel for the bosoms of plunderers?
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
Prove ourselves worthy the land we inherit now,
Feed till it blazes the National spirit now!
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!

Let us be bold, be it daylight or night for us —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
Let us be firm — with our God and our right for us,
Under the flag of the Southern Cross!
Austral is fair, and the idlers in strife for her
Plunder her, sneer at her, suck the young life from her!
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!

Fling out the flag to the front, and abide by it —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
Stand by the blood of the diggers who died by it —
Fling out the flag of the Southern Cross!
Fling out the flag to the front, and be brave for it.
Liberty! Light! or a battle-field grave for it!
Bonny bright flag of the Southern Cross!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross
From: Daniel Kelly
Date: 08 Jun 25 - 07:11 PM

Adding this in the hope that someone can clear up confusion around the source. Wikipedia currently says this was published in 1887 in ‘Truth’, Sydney. However, that paper was founded in 1890. I cannot find the poem in the Bulletin (which Henry did write for).

I did find (in Trove) a mention of this being sung as ‘The Flag of the Southern Cross’ prior to 1887, but no other details (and maybe not even the same song).

Any wisdom appreciated.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross
From: cnd
Date: 08 Jun 25 - 08:18 PM

Geoff Hocking's Eureka Stockage (p. 191) says it was published in Truth on 9 August 1891.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross
From: cnd
Date: 08 Jun 25 - 08:18 PM

Ahhh, *stockage*, not stockage.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross
From: Daniel Kelly
Date: 08 Jun 25 - 10:03 PM

Thankyou! There is the source of my problem, the Trove digitised archive of Truth doesn’t go back that far. If I ever see a copy I’ll fix the Wikipedia entry.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross
From: Helen
Date: 08 Jun 25 - 11:10 PM

No it's Eureka stockade.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross
From: Helen
Date: 08 Jun 25 - 11:49 PM

Henry Lawson may have written the poem earlier but not had it published until 1891.

I haven't heard of the poem or song and I just looked it up in a few of my Oz books but can't find a reference to it but he did write a lot of poems and songs.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)
From: cnd
Date: 09 Jun 25 - 07:52 AM

Well that's a rather negative indictment on my ability to proofread -- the exact typo I was correcting remained in the correction.... I'll see myself out now!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)
From: Helen
Date: 09 Jun 25 - 12:24 PM

Well cnd, it gave me a laugh. :-D

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)
From: Fred
Date: 09 Jun 25 - 12:37 PM

I don't know what this has to do with it (probably nothing!) but there is a constellation called the Southern Cross, visible in the Southern Hemisphere.

Fred

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)
From: Helen
Date: 09 Jun 25 - 01:55 PM

Hi Fred,

Yes, the Southern Cross is relevant. The Eureka Rebellion, aka the Eureka Stockade was a rebellion of gold miners.

"On 30 November 1854 miners at Ballarat in Victoria swore allegiance to the Southern Cross flag at Bakery Hill and built a stockade at the nearby Eureka diggings. They were disgruntled with the way the colonial government was administering the goldfields.

"Early on the morning of Sunday 3 December 1854, when the stockade was only lightly guarded, government troops attacked. At least 22 miners and five soldiers were killed.

"The rebellion of miners at Eureka Stockade is a key event in the development of Australia’s political systems and attitudes towards democracy and equality."

The blue Southern Cross flag is still seen as a mark of people coming together to fight for their rights, along the lines of "united we stand, divided we fall" which is a well known motto of workers' unions here. The Southern Cross constellation is also on the Australian national flag as well as nearby New Zealand's flag.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)
From: Helen
Date: 09 Jun 25 - 02:00 PM

The blue Southern Cross flag is more commonly known now as the Eureka Flag.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)
From: Fred
Date: 09 Jun 25 - 02:14 PM

Helen -

Very interesting. Its nice to learn about our cousins across the sea :)

Many thanks
Fred

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)
From: Bruce D
Date: 11 Jun 25 - 11:40 PM

The design of the Eureka flag was taken from the cross used in the Australian Colonial Flag (1823) placed on a blue background. The same cross was also used in the Australian Federation Flag our first national flag the same as the Colonial flag but with a blue cross rather than the Red cross.

In Colonial times the use of the Union Flag was Officialy secondary to the Australian Colonial Flag, but used more often as it was more commonly available.

As to the Lawsons's Poem, you need to check Roderick whose works quote all versions of Lawsons Poems with there publication date (mine are in storage).


Bruce D

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Flag of the Southern Cross (Lawson)
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 12 Jun 25 - 06:56 AM

Bush Music Library has Roderick, I could look it up next week ...

Collected Verse, Volume 1: 1885-1900, ed. by Colin Roderick, A&R 1967
Collected Verse, Volume 3: 1910-1922, ed. by Colin Roderick, A&R 1969