NEWSLETTERS | Classic Clippings

Vintage 1995

The missing verse

The poll that selected Advance Australia Fair as our national anthem was a contest of three songs.

The pattern of voting by states was far from uniform, with The Song of Australia very much the popular choice in South Australia. Not surprising, considering that it was written in South Australia, and sung in its schools since the 1880s.

The Song of Australia was written in 1859 in response to a competition by the Gawler Institute, and the winning verses were by Mrs Caroline Charleton. It was only later in the same year that Carl Linger wrote the music.

Caroline Charleton's original verses were five in number, yet The Song of Australia as now published is of only three verses. The second and third verses of the original composition have been dropped. This was the second verse:

There is a land where honeyflows,
Where laughing corn luxuriant grows,
Land of the myrtle and the rose, land of the rose.
On hill and plain the clust'ring vine
Is gushing out with purple wine,
And cups are quaffed to thee and thine,
Australia! Australia, Australia!

It is purely conjecture on my part, when asking why this verse was dropped, to suggest that it may have fallen victim to the -temperance" movement that arose late last century. The other lost verse makes reference to our mining wealth with the metaphorical reference of Worshippers at mammon's shrine which would have made it an obvious target for the "reformers of social evils" Any informed opinion on the matter would be most welcome.

At a time when Australia's wine industry was in its infancy, Caroline Charleton's giving over one tenth of her song to the exaltation of Australia's wine makes it quite clear where she stood on the matter

I'm starting a campaign to at least restore the second verse.