Poems by “Black Duck” by Syd Wakefield

Poems by “Black Duck”

By Syd Wakefield

Murray Mallee Printing Service, 1980, [First Edition], lightly illustrated with black and white photographs, staple bound paperback

Very Good Condition, minor edge and shelf wear, no inscriptions (see photographs)

“He was born in Belvidere, a small country town in South Australia, about 12 miles from Lake Alexandrina on 10^th April, 1896.
He did not have a very good education as times were hard.  Being the only son, he had to help his sick father run the small farm.  There were very few children attending the Belvidere school, so it was closed down and he went out to work carting sand with three horses and a dray when he was 12 years old.  Also, at this age, he made friends with Tom and Jim Pallant and went to his first opening of the duck season.  For the next 65 years, he did not miss a duck shooting opening until his death on 18^th April 1974.
He was a keen pot, and particularly enjoyed Banjo Paterson’s verse, reciting “The Man From Snowy River” without pause…”