1136_internals.qxd:91138_0199R0.qxd
3/7/08
12:35 PM
Page 111
BLM 85
MBICYCLE
ULGA BILL'S
’Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that caught the
cycling craze;
He turned away the good old horse that
served him many days;
He dressed himself in cycling clothes,
resplendent to be seen;
He hurried off to town and bought a
shiny new machine;
And as he wheeled it through the
door, with air of lordly pride,
The grinning shop assistant
said, ‘Excuse me, can you
ride?’
‘See, here, young man,’ said Mulga
Bill, ‘from Walgett to the sea,
From Conroy’s Gap to Castlereagh,
there’s none can ride like me.
I’m good all round at everything, as
everybody knows,
Although I’m not the one to talk—I hate a man that blows.
But riding is my special gift, my chiefest, sole delight;
Just ask a wild duck can it swim, a wild cat can it fight.
There’s nothing clothed in hair or hide, or built of flesh or steel,
There’s nothing walks or jumps, or runs, on axle, hoof, or wheel,
But what I’ll sit, while hide will hold and girths and straps are tight:
I’ll ride this here two-wheeled concern right straight away at sight.’
Blake Education Fully Reproducible
111
1136_internals.qxd:91138_0199R0.qxd
3/7/08
12:35 PM
Page 112
BLM 86
Mulga Bill’s Bicycle
’Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that sought his own abode,
That perched above the Dead Man’s Creek, beside the mountain road.
He turned the cycle down the hill and mounted for the fray,
But ere he’d gone a dozen yards it bolted clean away.
It left the track, and through the trees, just like a silver streak,
It whistled down the awful slope, towards the Dead Man’s Creek.
It shaved a stump by half an inch, it dodged a big white-box:
The very walleroos in fright went scrambling up the rocks,
The wombats hiding in their caves dug deeper underground,
As Mulga Bill, as white as chalk, sat tight to every bound.
It struck a stone and gave a spring that cleared a fallen tree,
It raced beside a precipice as close as close could be;
And then as Mulga Bill let out one last despairing shriek
It made a leap of twenty feet into the Dead Man’s Creek.
’Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that slowly swam ashore:
He said, ‘I’ve had some narrer shaves and lively rides before;
I’ve rode a wild bull round a yard to win a five pound bet,
But this was the most awful ride that I’ve encountered yet.
I’ll give that two-wheeled outlaw best; it’s shaken all my nerve
To feel it whistle through the air and plunge and buck and swerve.
It’s safe at rest in Dead Man’s Creek, we’ll leave it lying still;
A horse’s back is good enough henceforth for Mulga Bill.’
by Banjo Paterson
112
Blake Education Fully Reproducible
1136_internals.qxd:91138_0199R0.qxd
3/7/08
12:35 PM
Page 113
Teaching notes for
Mulga Bill’s Bicycle
Text form:
Medium:
Field:
Tenor:
Mode:
OTHER
Ballad
Book
A bicycle ride
Narrator to unknown audience
Written
RESOURCES
A selection of poetry books with examples of ballads.
Percussion instruments.
Art materials for the cartoons.
INTRODUCING
THE UNIT
Read the ballad with students, encouraging them to ask
the meaning of any unfamiliar words.
MULGA BILL
THE HERO
Ask students to think of the poem’s narrative structure
and the order of events. Encourage them to add
speech bubbles using words from the poem or their
own words. Tell students that because ballads tell a
story they often use the language features of narrative
texts (proper nouns to name the people or things in
the story, adverbs, conjunctions and verbs that show
what characters are thinking, feeling or saying).
Encourage students to compare the features of
narratives and ballads.
WHAT
WHAT
A PERFORMANCE!
Discuss the fact that rhyming words do not always have
the same spelling patterns. You may want to introduce
students to the term couplet. Ballads are often set to
music. Discuss how students could use the rhythm and
pace of movement and music to convey the mood and
story of the ballad. Have groups share their ideas for
appropriate movements, gestures and facial expressions
before working on the final performance. If possible
give students the opportunity to use percussion or other
musical instruments. Allow plenty of rehearsal time!
BE
A POET!
Revise the features of a ballad. They usually tell a folk
story or tell about a hero, and they often have short,
four-line stanzas (although this ballad does not). If
possible, share other ballads for students to use as
models, for example ‘The Man From Snowy River’ by
Banjo Paterson. Encourage students to experiment with
different ways to publish their final ballads, for example
as part of a class collection, a picture book, a poster, a
scroll or a dance drama.
MAKES A BUSH HERO?
Talk about the background to tall stories and folktales
set in the Australian bush. Guide students in finding
examples of Australian folktales, songs and poems.
Encourage students to talk about aspects of the bush
ethos and the type of characters who have been
revered in the bush mythology. Encourage them to
record their research and to share their feelings with
the rest of the class.
FOLLOW-UP/EXTENSION
• This ballad has been published as a picture book,
illustrated by Deborah and Kilmeny Niland (Collins).
Share the book with students and discuss the
illustrations.
• Students could create a map showing the way from
town to Mulga Bill’s home at Eaglehawk.
• A group of students could do some research about
Banjo Paterson, his life and his writing and present
their findings to the rest of the class.
113
1136_internals.qxd:91138_0199R0.qxd
BLM 87
Mulga Bill’s Bicycle
3/7/08
12:35 PM
Page 114
Name _________________________________________ Date _______________
Mulga Bill the hero
Ballads often tell a folk story about a hero. In the
space below, create a series of cartoons to tell the story of Mulga
Bill and his bicycle. Plan your cartoons on rough paper first.
Think about how many boxes are needed to tell the story, and how
to present these boxes on the page.
NA 3.7 NSW 2.8 Identifies, discusses and uses the grammatical features and the structures of a range of text types to create meaning.
NA 3.12a NSW 2.9 Uses strategies to plan, review, proofread and publish own writing with awareness of audience and written language features.
114
Blake Education Fully Reproducible
1136_internals.qxd:91138_0199R0.qxd
3/7/08
12:35 PM
Page 115
Name _________________________________________ Date _______________
BLM 88
Mulga Bill’s Bicycle
What makes a bush hero?
With a partner, research some other stories, songs or
poems that tell about life in the Australian bush. How
would you describe the characters involved? Do the
characters have anything in common? Talk about it with
your partner, then write your conclusions on the lines.
NA 3.2 NSW 2.3 Recognises that certain types of spoken texts are associated with particular audiences and purposes.
NA 3.5 NSW 2.5 Reads a wide range of written and visual texts and interprets and discusses relationships between ideas, information and events.
NA 3.6 NSW 2.7 Identifies simple symbolic meaning and stereotypes in texts and discusses how writers create worlds through language which achieves a wide range
of purposes.
Blake Education Fully Reproducible
115
1136_internals.qxd:91138_0199R0.qxd
BLM 89
Mulga Bill’s Bicycle
3/7/08
12:35 PM
Page 116
Name _________________________________________ Date _______________
What a performance!
Ballads usually use rhyme. Read the poem with a partner.
Can you hear the rhyme scheme? Choose some of the rhyming
pairs and write them on the lines. How many other words can
you write that also rhyme with them? Do the rhymes all have the
same spellings?
Work with a group of friends to prepare a drama to tell the story of the ballad. You
might like to use percussion instruments to accompany your drama. Don’t forget to
rehearse before you perform for the class!
Our performance plan
NA 3.1 NSW 2.1 Communicates and interacts for specific purposes with students in the classroom and in the school community using a small range of text types.
NA 3.12b NSW 2.11 Consistently makes informed attempts at spelling.
116
Blake Education Fully Reproducible
1136_internals.qxd:91138_0199R0.qxd
3/7/08
12:35 PM
Page 117
Name _________________________________________ Date _______________
BLM 90
Mulga Bill’s Bicycle
Be a poet!
Now it’s your turn! Write a ballad telling a story about something that has
happened in your class, school or family. Draft your ideas on the ballad
scaffold, then publish your ballad below.
NA 3.12a NSW 2.9 Uses strategies to plan, review, proofread and publish own writing with awareness of audience and written language features.
NA 3.9 Experiments with interrelating ideas and information when writing about familiar topics within a small range of text types.
Blake Education Fully Reproducible
117