Inspiration Henry Lawson and a lone soldiers grave

by Jennifer Stone (writer), Kings Cross, May 23, 2012

australian history , inspiration , author , gallipolli , henry lawson , private francis

Credit: Jennifer Stone
Henry Lawson inspiration to many authors.

Great Australians need to be celebrated, even the forgotten Soldier a Private. There is a story, I uncovered one of the stories picking a grave and researching about where they interlinked.

Inspiration for the last 2.5 hours started by inspiration of my surroundings and by who had influenced me during my childhood.

French Street. North Sydney was where my Private Francis had grown up. Many months of research to find the home, the start of the journey that would be documented in some parts by In The Cross Fire.

As I walked away from French Street, the words from the Banksia Man rang loud and clear. Why?

This was circling in my head, Why had I stopped and listened and nobody else had. It was a Sunny afternoon in January. I arrived at my car, thinking I did hear the Banksia Man and maybe there was something in the story that needed rewriting, or adding too. Maybe even the idea of the history of the area and the families that had been broken up during the efforts of the war.

They say if you are aware you will hear more than at face value. Yes, the listening that is the main problem today, everyone is in such a rush. Why would anyone stop and listen to the Banksia Man. I must be crazy, owe Plum Crazy what a nick name I have really when you think about it. Really I was pretty crazy to listen to the words from the Banksia Man and feel there is more to this story. Where this inspiration has taken me, to the depths of danger in Kings Cross following a Private Franicis that started in French Street North Sydney.

I do enjoy research, so why not. Find out a bit more about the war, Gallipolli, the Australians that lived in the area of the Banksia Man from French Street and I might look up the other nick name I have Donkey.

Yes, there was a Donkey that I would love to learn about. So I did come home that night with an air about me, that I knew I could write down the life and the history from a few more visits from the Banksia Man in French Street.

I thought about what I had learned at school, and really I didn’t know that much. Yes a donkey a famous donkey I could remember about. Then there was Gallipolli and I could remember one Anzac day doing the real Australian rememberance, of Anzac March in Sydney and planting a poppy at a grave with a friend. For a lady who had been in the war. Yes a poppy, the poppy was a symbol of the fields of flowers that represented the area of fighting.

Other people I knew about was Henry Lawson had lived at North Sydney near this area as my Grandmother, Nana as I called her had a much loved book about Henry Lawson that floated around the loungeroom that I could remember. Henry Lawson had always been in my memory when I called our third child after a lady which Henry Lawson talked about was Clara Southwick who I had heard my grandmother talk about. It may have just been the Southwick part as Nana was a Southwick from the mountains.

Maybe the Banksia Man was just talking about the area which I had as a child loved to hear about the way life used to be. How the dramas of real life now is so different to life back in the early 1900’s and then into the war when Australia was just a new nation.

The vegetables and the farms in this year that feed the nation through Sydney markets. This had a passion with me as we were from the Markets now, in Flemington Sydney which had moved many years ago from Sydney Paddy’s Market area, Haymarket. My husband’s family had been third generation farmers and merchants feeding the area with fruit and vegetables. It is a hard life being a farmer when I was young I had packed the oranges, in to those net bags in the supermarket. Graded fruit and even picked the fruit. We had both worked hard running and being a wife to a farm that had been in the family for such a long time.

I had walked around the area a little this Sunday afternoon, noticing the sandstone buildings that were so well looked after on Blue’s Point Road. I had meandered along the streets noticing and seeing old survey marks along the edge of the street and noting the levels of the footpath all going down to the harbour where you could see the divided road for the ferry.

The Ferry house is a landmark, where Billy Blue started the ferries and his son William continued with the ferries crossing of the harbour moving the fruit and vegetables to the market. Moving the people from the northern side of the harbour to the southern side allowing the towns to keep building and growing.

The lookout on the point known as Blue’s Point after Billy Blue, has a fantastic view of the harbour bridge, with the Opera House on the eastern side of the bridge. The rocks area of Dawes Point you can see clearly. The people climbing on the bridge looked like specs upon the skyline.

This was the year I decided I would spend some time finding out about some of the people and some of the places that the Banksia Man had spoken about.

There was a pub on the corner of French Street where I sat and uponed about what it was really like to live in this suburb back in the days of the 1900’s and today where the coffee shops and little curiosity shops dotted the robina tree lined street. I thought of home for a second with our robina trees along our driveway. How the Banksia Man had me thinking and pondering where do I start and how to tell the story with as much passion and drive that I had found the Banksia Man had told me.

I thought I was just seeing the crisscross of how our lives move and the links we can find to take us back to our heritage may just be a tree in the yard of an old home really sees the passing of people noticing the little things in life that we are too busy to see.

Since I was young I too would run around and be busy, I was so busy one year I nearly forgot my daughters birthday. Life really is busy. To stop and ponder what really surrounds us each and every day is a skill and really an art form that we can forget to do and it is important to remember not just our relations of long ago. It is important for us to know how hard life really was and how much pride we all had for Australia at the time of us coming a nation.

A couple of weekends before we had travelled to Waverley, just by chance we went walking through the Cemetry a little sign Henry Lawsons grave seemed so little and insignificant. We walked and talked as to looking out at the view, the age of the cemetery was very old and the graves some grand and others there are no marks. Just a plot where they lay. The forgotten society, when we saw the sign Henry Lawson’s grave this way, we were humbled to be standing in front of one of Australian’s greatest poet and story writer an author. Just a grave, I did go home and check as I couldn’t believe my eyes someone so famous and really his grave was open to all to come and pay there respects.

What I read I had found Henry Lawson was one of the first Australians that weren’t a Judge or a Prime Minister who had a State Funeral, this was fitting, the Prime Minister of the day, W.M. Hughes and the State Premier Jack Lang were in attendance. The Late Henry Lawson was born in the country and had great experience about the bush around NSW and outback Australia that he wrote about in his poems and stories.

Again, we had a rare glimpse of an Australia that many had forgotten about or too busy to notice. Maybe the Banksia Man would have heard of Henry Lawson as his face was honoured by being placed on our ten dollar paper note in 1966

I thought of Henry Lawson, a famous Australian author who in 1903 bought a room from a poet herself Mrs Isabella Byers. Both at the time had parted from their partners and a strong friendship joined with the passion for the poety and writing. Mrs Byers had also some knowledge regarding publishers and door knocked to get Henry Lawson some book deals and regain his life from his problems.

Mrs Byers looked after Henry for the last 20 years of his life, it was the greatest of friendships. Mrs Byers was the housekeeper and looked after Henry when he was the most celebrated Australian Author. Henry Lawson withdrew from society and Mrs Byers helped Henry to get his life in order from his ex wife and to contact with his children. Henry Lawson had even served time because of non payment of alimony. Alcoholism and unfortunate royalty deals kept Henry poor thou famous in his own right. Mrs Byers was a very good friend and helped Henry out to sort out his life.

For many people these days with these problems of marriage breakdowns and family upheavels we forget how precious our own life is. How we move around society and our own life normally only thinking about ourself first. It is nice to read and feel the vibes that back in the early 1900’s generosity to others was flourishing. When you see where the people of society we admire, there has been a large amount of generosity from them, they have left a mark on this world may not be a great famous writer however you can tell that many people think about others before themselves. Mrs Byers was doing just this, she could see the poet was down on his luck. Enjoyed Henry Lawsons writing and poetry with a similar style of poetry herself.

Henry Lawson died in 1922 at Mrs Byers home in Abbotsford Henry passed away from a cerebral haemorrhiage.

When we think back through the suburbs that surround our Harbour Bridge and the Sydney region even thou we were a new nation we did provide an insight into the people and the reasons of life, to live to the fullest.

When we walk around and not notice our own surrounding or where we have visited, we lose the magic of where we came from. Even thou our country is not old compared to other European countries maybe our pride has oozed out for years to tell others around the world and our own countrymen that Australia is a fantastic country with diverse scenery and our people are all unique just some have talents that can encapsulate the feeling of being an Australian and show others across the world.

Mr Banksia Man would be pleased that I too, had taken notice and realised on another weekend that Australia’s history is all very easily accessed and available for whoever would like to spend the day or hours reading about famous Australians or our diverse country.

Henry Lawson had like many other famous people been hit with diversity in his life. He had lost his way, thou his gift were grand to our nation and Australia had paid homage. Our Australian $10 dollar paper note in 1966 was significant recognition.

When our tourists and other Australian’s utilize our money we can learn a lot about a country by studying the money, this is a reflection in the beliefs of the country, history and sometimes it displays favourite icons that actually put the nation on the map for literacy, Henry Lawson.

A little insight into the inspiration and research that has been put together to incorporate The Kings Cross Sting. Uncovering the corruption and living through some of the ordeals where many would run. This story is a must read The Kings Cross Sting to unravel how the Kings Cross Currency and the unveiling of the perils of Juanita Nielsen another famous Editor and Journalist where a cross stands and no body. Australian missing person Juanita Joan Nielsen nee Smith.

Lest we forget.