The colt from Old Regret by Dianne Wolfer and Erica Wagner

The first lines from Banjo Patterson’s well known poem is printed on the page before the title page, and offered in full at the end of the book. Once known by many as The Man from Snowy River, it was a homage to the bushmen who plied their trade in the highlands of the Australian Alps. It was often recited by people before TV filled their lives, and people could quote lines, while even today, people recognise the titles, The man from Snowy River and Clancy of the Overflow, and may have seen the film of the first poem.

This book offers a story taking the point of view of the colt who got away and is the reason for the man from Snowy River being there. Wolfer outlines more details about the writing of this story at the end of book, where readers will also find The man from Snowy River in full, and essays about Banjo Patterson, bush poetry and brumbies. All of these give much of the background to the poem and are well worth reading. Younger students will find this information riveting.

The colt has got away and many stockmen including the famed man from Snowy River are trying to recapture him and bring him back to the station. His sire was well known and so this colt is valuable and must be captured before he joins the wild brumbies in the high valleys. And this is what he does, avoiding the stockmen with their whips and spurs, joining a stallion and his group of mares and foals. They hide out but are eventually cornered by the men and brought back to the station yards, where they are surrounded by fences. The stallion roams the yards through the night, the colt with him until he rears and beats down a fence with this hooves and superior strength. The mares follow him as he beats a path to the hills, and the whole group survives in the high mountains, free of men.

This is a wonderful retelling of the Australian bush, reminding us of the early pioneers and their fortitude in surviving such harsh conditions. The brumbies are well known in Australia stories, and readers will learn much about them from the poem, the story and the information given at the end of the book. The story is written against the most amazing backdrop: sweeps of highland of eucalypt trees, of fast moving horses dominate each page. Using collage and paint, Erica Wagner celebrates the Australian bush, filling her pages with images of the high country, the beauty of the skies, mountains and trees. Little evidence of man’s intervention in the mountains can be seen, and we cheer with the horses as they make their way into the hidden recesses of the alps.

This is a lively accompaniment to the original poem, enlarging its view as we see the colt flee to freedom, paralleling the bravery of the man from Snowy River, with that of the colt, each in their own way indicative of the qualities we associate with the Australian bush. The poem and the story sit well side by side, involving both men and animals in this tribute to a lifestyle of the another era. Teacher's notes are available.

Themes: Australian Alps, Brumbies, Australian poetry, Banjo Patterson.

Fran Knight