I fell in love with Kath Walker, as she was known then, in my teens and bought her book of poems, My people. I loved her passion for her people and the intensity but accessibility of her poems. Every now and then I look at them again. Today, however, my mum gave me a dear little illustrated book produced by the National Library of Australia called Little book of dogs. It contains a small selection of Australian poems on, well, dogs. One of them was also in My people, and is called “Freedom”. It’s a powerful little poem about man’s (and the implication is white man’s) desire to tame “all things wild and tameless”.
Brumbies on the run in Central Australia
For copyright reasons I don’t believe I can quote the whole poem – it only has four verses – but here is the first verse:
Brumby on the wild plain
All men out to break you,
My warm fellow-feeling
Hopes they never take you!
Simple stuff really but, if you have a message you must get across to as many people as possible, simple is sometimes best.
Whispering Gums 
We’ve got a lovely picture book by KW/Oodgeroo Noonuccal at school, Father Sky and Mother Earth, but that’s all I know of her work, an omission I’d like to rectify. Is there a particular anthology you would suggest, Sue?
Oh, I’m probably not the best person to ask because I didn’t keep up with the latter part of her life, but the anthology “My people” (published in 1970) combines works from two earlier collections, one being “We are going” (of which the title poem is moving too) It’s emotional stuff but I like it. There was a lovely documentary made about her which I bought for the Film Collection at the NLA way back when – it’s called Shadow sister. have no idea whether it is still around but it would be worth seeing. I notice that the Wikipedia article doesn’t mention it so am going to rectify that now.
I remember that children’s book coming out but I don’t have it.
Freedom is my favourite poem, from childhood.
Freedom
by Kath Walker
Brumby on the wide plain
All men out to break you
My warm fellow-feeling
Hopes they never take you
Dingo on the lone ridge
Fleeing as you spy them
Every hand against you
May you still defy them
All things wild and tameless
Hunted down and hated
Something in my wild heart
With your own is mated
Dingo, wild bushranger
Brumby that they ban so
May you still outmatch them
May you foil the man foe!
Thanks for sharing that Anne (and welcome to Whispering Gums). I love that someone else has favourite poems of hers from childhood!