Letters and poem handwritten by William Henry Ogilvie to Alec Irvine

MLMSS 11976

fonds

1907-1914

9675126

0.03 metres of textual material (1 folder)

William Henry Ogilvie was a Scottish poet and journalist whose love of horses and the ballads of Adam Lindsay Gordon led him to seek a ‘colonial experience’ in Australia. He arrived in Australia in 1889 and spent 12 years in the outback droving, mustering and horse breaking, translating his experiences into verses and ballads published in the Bulletin, Sydney Mail, Independent, Australasian and the Melbourne Weekly Times. He returned to Scotland in 1901 but his poems continued to be published in Australia.

Alec Irvine died on 4th February 1915 after an acute bout of dysentery. Notice of his death in the Orange Leader (8 Feb 1915) describes him as ‘a well know identity in Parkes and Forbes …the manager of Coobang Station in the 1870s’ … and a man of ‘many friends in the district.’
Reference: Library correspondence file

Letters were written to donor’s great uncle Alec Irvine and were originally kept by Alec’s sister, Sarah Irvine. They had been in the custody of Helen Irvine before passing into the custody of David Irvine. ​

​​Four original manuscript letters from poet Will Henry Ogilive in Scotland to Alec Irvine (Alic, Alick)

​3 April 1907 – speaks of the way the Australian bush can ‘turn a man in on himself’. Talks of riding in Scotland, helping a friend train some steeplechasers.

​21 August 1910 – writing on his 41st birthday, talks of reviewing an excellent book On the Wool Track. ‘One gets so much clap-trap written about our back country by tourists who have stayed a week or less on a sheep station.’ Tells of his marriage two years ago and 16-month-old daughter, of making writing his full time life, of the writing in the Bulletin.

​9 October 1911 - recounts memories and news of old acquaintances, a sheep station manager in Monaro, old friends in Parkes, correspondents who have ‘cropped off’. He finishes, ‘I must pull up and make some more pennies to buy the kiddy boots by writing pot-boiling stories of life in the Australian Bush!’

​9 July 1912 – thanking Alec for news of friends especially Regie Lackey – ‘we rode and raced and drafted sheep and drank whisky and played polo and did many wild and unprintable things.’ Includes a cut out photo of Ogilvie’s daughter Wendy being held by her nurse at 16 months old.

​Original autographed manuscript of poem The Buckjumper, published as The Outlaw in The Lone Hand, 1 January 1914​

​4 manuscript letters (total 6 A5 sheets), 1 poem (total 2 foolscap sheets), 1 black and white cut out photograph ​

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales