John Neilson (1844-1922) was a farmer, contractor, and poet. His works were published in various newspapers, mainly in South Australia and Victoria, being the states (or colonies) in which he was living. His poetry was also printed in two posthumous books of his collected works. His best-known verse was “Waiting for the Rain”, also known as “The Song of the Shearer” and “Another Fall of Rain”, which was included in The Old Bush Songs (1905), edited by Banjo Paterson. He was the father of the well-known poet John Shaw Neilson (1872-1942).
From Scotland to Australia
Neilson was born in Stranraer, on the west side of Scotland, in 1844. His parents were William Neilson and Jessie Neilson (née MacFarlane), who had two sons, John and William. After her husband’s death, Jessie married John Shaw, with whom she had three more children. The family came out to Australia in 1853, except for William, junior, who had been left behind with Jessie’s family, the MacFarlanes. Unfortunately, the two youngest children died on the rough ship journey to Australia, which obviously would have affected the family deeply. The younger William Neilson (1842-1916) migrated to Australia when he was eleven years old, and was later to gain some fame in Penola, South Australia, as a poet — apparently a talent for poetry ran deep in the Neilson genes.[1]
Neilson’s step-father, John Shaw, worked as a labourer, doing various jobs, including bullock-driving, fencing, rough carpentry, and shearing. He saved up his hard-earned gains, bought a bullock team, and then worked at carrying wool to market centers and transporting supplies to sheep farms. Neilson worked with his step-father, picking up knowledge of various bush trades along the way.[2]
Marriage, farming, and contracting
John Neilson married 21-year-old Margaret McKinnon in 1871, in the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Penola, South Australia. The couple went on to have seven children: John Shaw (also known as Jock, who later became a famous poet), Margaret Stuart (Maggie), Jessie McFarlane, Annie Stuart, and William Charles (Bill), who were all born in South Australia, as well as Frank McFarlane and Neil, who were both born in Victoria. The eldest child, John (John Shaw), was apparently named after John Neilson’s step-father (John Shaw), and it would be reasonable to assume that Jessie (Jessie McFarlane) was named after John Neilson’s mother (whose maiden name was Jessie MacFarlane), with Maggie (Margaret Stuart) being named after his wife’s mother (Margaret Stuart), likewise with Annie’s middle name (Annie Stuart).[3]
In 1881, the Neilson family moved to Minimay, in eastern Victoria, not far from the South Australian border. Frank was born there, in the same year (1881). John was prominent in the campaign for a government school to be established in the area, and one was opened in May 1885, so the Neilson children were able to receive a formal education. Unfortunately, the family’s bush selection could not keep them financially afloat, so they moved north-west to Dow Well (south-west of Nhill) in June 1889. Not long afterwards, Margaret gave birth to another son, Neil McKinnon Neilson, who was born in Dow Well in 1889 (he was named after Margaret’s father, Neil McKinnon); but, sadly, he died when he was only three days old. In 1893, the Neilsons moved to Nhill; then, in 1894, the family moved to a farm at Sea Lake (near Lake Tyrell, and a fair distance north-east of Nhill).[4]
Assisted by his family, John Neilson worked a number of farms, but they were, by and large, unsuccessful. It wasn’t necessarily that bad luck was following him, as there were other reasons for the failure of the farms, such as droughts, plagues, poor farming land, the economic depression of the 1890s, and lacking the capital to get a farm going to the point where a profit could be made.[5]
Therefore, to pay for his family’s upkeep, Neilson worked as a labourer (like his step-father before him); although, rather than working for a wage, he usually took on contracts, as he didn’t like working under bosses (in effect, the contracts made him a small businessman, albeit on a small scale; although, labouring contracts were not always well-paid). John and his eldest son, Jock, worked hard at harvesting, shearing, wheat-cleaning, woodcutting, fencing, and road-building. In the summer of 1888, John took a contract working on the vermin-proof fence, which was being built to stop dingoes, kangaroos, and rabbits getting into the Wimmera (it ran from Swan Hill to the 36th parallel, to the South Australian border, and then southwards along the SA border). However, he and Jock ran out of food and water, and so they had to make a dash for sustenance at Scorpion Springs (just over the SA border), to avoid death by dehydration.[6]
John Neilson, the poet
With a fondness for reading, John Neilson turned to poetry for his artistic expression. Quite a few of his poems were published in newspapers. He began submitting poetry for publication from at least 1878; his earliest known poem was “The Bellbird”, which was published on 10 July 1878 in The Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA); the poem was submitted by “R.G.S.” from Penola (SA), which was Neilson’s pen-name. The real identity of “R.G.S.” was revealed nine years later, when John wrote to the The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.) in January 1887 regarding his authorship of “The Song of the Shearer” (which had originally been published under the pseudonym of “R.G.S.” from Penola).[7]
Neilson’s biggest success was his song ““Waiting for the Rain”, which became the folk song “The Song of the Shearer” (sung to the tune of “The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane”). Folk songs have a single primary creation point (being composed by one person, or several in unison), but are then passed around by word of mouth, and then — when singers can’t remember the words, or if they prefer to alter them — new phrases or lines are added, thus making a secondary creation point (or multiples thereof). This was the situation with Neilson’s song; he submitted it to The Border Watch as “Waiting for the Rain” (under his pen-name of “R.G.S.”), and it was published on 23 November 1878; the song became popular in shearing sheds, being passed around by word of mouth; subsequently, slightly different versions of it began appearing in newspapers, under the title of “The Song of the Shearer”. It also appeared in Banjo Paterson’s collection of Australian folk songs, The Old Bush Songs (1905), under the title of “Another Fall of Rain”. In 1925, The World’s News (Sydney, NSW) included the song in its long-running series, “Australian poems you ought to know”. John Neilson’s creation had become part of the nation’s “bush songs” heritage.[8]
John Neilson definitely had a talent for writing poems; this was demonstrated by the fact that he won first prize in two poetry competitions. He won the senior poetry prize in the Australian Natives’ Association’s literary competition of 1893, for his poem “The Pioneers”, which was the subject set by the competition organisers (his son, Jock, also won a prize for poetry in the same competition, although in the junior category). John also won first prize at the Warrnambool Exhibition in 1897, with his poem “Love’s Summer in the Snow”.[9]
He intended to publish a collection of his poetry, and in 1894 he arranged for the local newspaper to print a book of his poems (the cost being £17 10s. — quite a sum in those days); however, a fire broke out that year in the township of Nhill, which destroyed several buildings, including that of the newspaper. Nonetheless, some years after his death, his desire for a book came true, as two books of his poetry were published: The Men of the Fifties (1938) and John Neilson: Poet and Songwriter: An Anthology of Poems (2009).[10]
In his autobiography, John Shaw Neilson (also known as “Jock”), the famous poet and eldest son of John Neilson, said of his father: “although Dad wrote most of his best verse after he turned fifty, he did not seem so keen on publishing. I think the best bit of verse he wrote, during our stay at Nhill, was ‘Loves Summer in the Snow’. It seemed to have more charm about it than the others. He had a good ear for Rhythm and he had read much good verse. He wrote one religious piece ‘Easter tide’ for the Australian [sic: Australasian] just before we left Nhill. I think it was a remarkable piece of work for a man with no education, a man that had to fight so very hard to make a living all his life.”[11]
All good things must end, but life goes on
John Neilson’s wife, Margaret, passed away in 1897 (in Bendigo), at the age of 47; this event would have been devastating for him and his family. To make matters worse, Maggie, his daughter, died in 1903 (in Swan Hill), whilst another daughter, Jessie, died in 1907 (also in Swan Hill). Along with Neil, who died in 1889 (in Nhill), that meant that three of his children had predeceased him. It’s been said that parents shouldn’t live to see their children die, but mortality rates (especially for babies) were much higher in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, and so John had to face that harsh reality several times.[12]
In 1911, at the age of 67, John got married again, to Elizabeth MacFarlane (as MacFarlane was John’s mother’s maiden name, it is possible that Elizabeth may have been a distant relation). The couple moved to Leongatha, in Gippsland (Victoria). The marriage was blessed with two children: Elizabeth (known as Lizzie, and also as Lisette), who was born in 1915 (in Leongatha), and another daughter, Lily, who was born in 1918 (also in Leongatha).[13]
NEILSON. — On the 16th July at Leongatha, John, the dearly beloved husband of Elizabeth Neilson, and loving father of John, Annie (Mrs. M’Kimm), William, Frank, Lizzie, and Lily Neilson, aged 78 years. A colonist of 60 years.
Although regard for John Neilson’s literary work never reached the heights that his son achieved, it should be recognised that he added to Australia’s literary heritage, and contributed to the nation’s store of bush songs.
Books and other works of John Neilson:
Works of John Neilson
References:
[1] Hugh Anderson “Neilson, John (1844–1922)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University
Robert Henderson Croll, “A biographical note”, in: John Shaw Neilson: A Memorial, Melbourne: Bread and Cheese Club, 1942, p. 8
Nancy Keesing, “Introduction”, in The Autobiography of John Shaw Neilson, [Canberra]: National Library of Australia, 1978, p. 24
“Stranraer”, Wikipedia
“William Neilson”, AustLit
[2] Nancy Keesing, 1978, op. cit., pp. 24-25
[3] L. J. Blake, “In the Neilson country”, Walkabout (Melbourne, Vic.), June 1965, p. 19
Nancy Keesing, 1978, op. cit., p. 25
Margaret Roberts (editor), “John Shaw Neilson: The Collected Verse: A Variorum Edition, Canberra: Australian Scholarly Editions Centre (UNSW at ADFA), 2003, p. 66
Genealogy SA
* 1871 marriage (marriage record: groom name: John Neilson; bride given names: Margaret; district: Grey; book/page: 87/423; marriage year: 1871)
* John (birth record: name: John Shaw NEILSON; gender: M; father: John NEILSON; district: Grey; book/page: 106/135; birth year: 1872)
* Margaret (birth record: name: Margaret Stuart NEILSON; gender: F; father: John NEILSON; district: Grey; book/page: 124/39; birth year: 1873) [the Third Schedule for the death of John Neilson (senior) lists Margaret’s middle name as “Stewart”]
* Jessie (birth record: name: Jessie McFarlane NEILSON; gender: F; father: John NEILSON; district: Grey; book/page: 156/91; birth year: 1875)
* Annie (birth record: name: Annie Stuart NEILSON; gender: F; father: John NEILSON; district: Grey; book/page: 197/180; birth year: 1878) [the Third Schedule for the death of John Neilson (senior) lists Annie’s middle name as “Stewart”]
* William (birth record: name: William Charles NEILSON; gender: M; father: John NEILSON; district: Grey; book/page: 232/199; birth year: 1879)
“Third Schedule: Deaths in the State of Victoria” (1922), supplied by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria [the entry for the death of John Neilson (senior) included the first and middle names of his children]
[4] Hugh Anderson, op. cit.
L. J. Blake, 1965, op. cit., p. 20 [school opening]
Robert Henderson Croll, 1942, op. cit., pp. 8-9
Nancy Keesing, 1978, op. cit., p. 26 [school opening]
John Shaw Neilson, 1978, op. cit., pp. 31 [Nhill], 33-36 [work], 37 [Sea Lake]
Margaret Roberts, 2003, op. cit., pp. 21 [Nhill], 66 [chronology; Sea Lake]
“Search your family history”, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria (death record: name: Neil Mckinnon NEILSON; mother’s name at birth: Margt MCKINNON; father’s name: John NEILSON; place of birth: n/a; place of death: Nhill; Age at death: 3 days; reg. year: 1889, reg. no.: 13501/1889)
[5] Nancy Keesing, 1978, op. cit., pp. 15-16, 66
[6] L. J. Blake, 1965, op. cit., p. 20 [Scorpion Springs], 21
Nancy Keesing, 1978, op. cit., pp. 26-27 [Scorpion Springs]
John Shaw Neilson, 1978, op. cit., pp. 34 [bosses]
“Scorpion Springs Conservation Park”, Wikipedia
[7] Nancy Keesing, 1978, op. cit., p. 25 [fond of reading]
R.G.S., “The Bellbird”, The Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA), 10 July 1878, p. 4
John Neilson, “The Song of the Shearer”, The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.), 19 January 1887, p. 6 (letter dated 6 January 1887)
“Works of R.G.S. (poet from Penola), pen-name of John Neilson (1844-1922)”, InstituteOfAustralianCulture [list on Trove]
“Works of John Neilson (1844-1922)”, InstituteOfAustralianCulture [list on Trove]
[8] Hugh Anderson, op. cit. [song popular in shearing sheds]
R.G.S., “Waiting for the Rain”, The Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA), 23 November 1878, p. 4 [original version]
“The Song of the Shearer”, The Adelaide Observer (Adelaide, SA), 6 November 1886, p. 43 [includes some changes made by Cecil W. P. Poole; song popular at shearing time]
J. Neilson, “Waiting for the Rain”, The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.), 19 January 1887, p. 6 [includes some changes made by J. Neilson]
“Australian Poems You Ought to Know: Another Fall of Rain”, The World’s News (Sydney, NSW), 21 February 1925, p. 8
“Waiting for the Rain [by R.G.S., pen-name of John Neilson (1844-1922)]”, InstituteOfAustralianCulture [list on Trove]
[9] “Awards for literary competitions”, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 7 March 1893, p. 3
“[The following are the prizetakers]” [untitled article], The Mount Alexander Mail (Castlemaine, Vic.), 7 March 1893, p. 2
“Town talk”, The Geelong Advertiser (Geelong, Vic.), 6 March 1897, p. 2 (col. 8)
[10] L. J. Blake, 1965, op. cit., p. 21 [fire]
John Shaw Neilson, 1978, op. cit., pp. 39-40 [cost; fire]
“The men of the fifties / by John Neilson”, National Library of Australia [catalogue entry for the 1938 book]
“John Neilson : poet and songwriter : an anthology of poems / edited by Andrew G. Peake”, National Library of Australia [catalogue entry for the 2009 book]
[11] John Shaw Neilson, 1978, op. cit., p. 40
[12] Margaret Roberts, 2003, op. cit., p. 67
Mortality over the twentieth century in Australia: Trends and patterns in major causes of death, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (Canberra), 2006, pp. 11-12 (see tables 2.2 and 2.3)
“Search your family history”, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria
* Margaret, senior (death record: name: Margt NEILSON; mother’s name at birth: Margt STUART; father’s name: Neil MCKINNON; place of birth: n/a; place of death: Bgo; Age at death: 47; reg. year: 1897, reg. no.: 11607/1897)
* Margaret, junior, aka Maggie (death record: name: Margt Stewart NEILSON; mother’s name at birth: Margt MCKINNON; father’s name: Jno NEILSON; place of birth: n/a; place of death: Swan Hill; Age at death: 30; reg. year: 1903, reg. no.: 11597/1903)
* Jessie (death record: name: Jessie NEILSON; mother’s name at birth: Margt MCKINNON; father’s name: Jno NEILSON; place of birth: n/a; place of death: Sn Hill; Age at death: 31; reg. year: 1907, reg. no.: 11246/1907)
* Neil (death record: name: Neil Mckinnon NEILSON; mother’s name at birth: Margt MCKINNON; father’s name: John NEILSON; place of birth: n/a; place of death: Nhill; Age at death: 3 days; reg. year: 1889, reg. no.: 13501/1889)
[13] Margaret Roberts, 2003, op. cit., pp. 67-68 (“Hallam, near Leongatha”)
“Search your family history”, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria
* 1911 marriage (marriage record: name: Jno NEILSON, to Elizth Isabella MCFARLANE; reg. year 1911; reg. no. 1630/1911)
* Elizabeth (birth record: name: Elizabeth Martha McFarlane; mother’s name at birth: Elizabeth Isabella McFARLANE; father’s name: John NEILSON; place of birth: Leongatha; reg. year 1915; reg. no. 14098/1915)
* Lily (birth record: name: Lily Frances Mcfarlane NEILSON; mother’s name at birth: Elizth Isbla MCFARLANE; father’s name: Jno; place of birth: Leongatha; reg. year 1918; reg. no. 4624/1918)
[14] “Deaths”, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 26 July 1922, p. 1
“Search your family history”, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria (death record: name: John NEILSON; mother’s name: Jessie MCFARLANE; father’s name: William NEILSON; place of birth: n/a; place of death: Leongatha; Age at death: 78; reg. year: 1922, reg. no.: 9828/1922)
“Third Schedule: Deaths in the State of Victoria” (1922), Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria [the entry for the death of John Neilson (senior) includes his cause of death]
Leave a Reply