William Henry Ogilvie
Encyclopedia
William Henry Ogilvie was a Scottish
-Australia
n narrative poet
and horseman
. He was born near Kelso
, Borders
, Scotland
and arrived in Australia in 1889 returning to Scotland after a decade.
Ogilvie had a deep love of horse
s and riding and he naturally became interested in the outback
. Before long he became an expert station hand, drover
and horse breaker, working on such stations as Belalie on the Warrego
, and Maaoupe near Penola in South Australia
. He was a friend of Harry "Breaker" Morant
and was described as a quiet-spoken Scot of medium height, with a fair moustache and red complexion. He wrote lyrical and romantic poetry noted for its balladic style, with expressive descriptions of outback life and characters. Will, as he was known, also wrote a great deal of work on English
and Scottish themes and his work has been included in collections of English and Scottish poetry. All of his work was originally published in and he is most closely associated with Australia.
His love of the outback, dog
s and horses is well-reflected in his work (My Life in the Open, Kelpies, The Australian). A collection of Will Ogilvie's poetry was published in (Saddle for a Throne 1952 ISBN 0-9599299-4-0) and was "Dedicated to Comrades of Camp-fire and Muster"; the book contains a foreword by R. M. Williams
, who met him in the late 1940s and who was instrumental in publishing the works.
A formal portrait of Ogilvie posing with his Miniature Fox Terrier
hangs in the National Library of Australia
in Canberra
.
A memorial committee was set up Scotland in 1991 to raise funds to promote the name of the Ogilvie and his works.
A cairn
to the poet was erected in 1993 between the villages of Ashkirk
and Roberton
in Scotland
., there are also memorials to him in Australia. One such memorial is a National Trust roadside cairn adjacent to the old shearers quarters at the former Maaoupe station unveiled on 8 June 1995. It is here he was reported to have written his poem Fair Girls and Gray Horses.
For more information go to their web site willhogilvie
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
-Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n narrative poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and horseman
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
. He was born near Kelso
Kelso, Scotland
Kelso is a market town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies where the rivers Tweed and Teviot have their confluence...
, Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and arrived in Australia in 1889 returning to Scotland after a decade.
Ogilvie had a deep love of horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s and riding and he naturally became interested in the outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
. Before long he became an expert station hand, drover
Drover (Australian)
A drover in Australia is a person, typically an experienced stockman, who moves livestock, usually sheep or cattle, "on the hoof" over long distances. Reasons for droving may include: delivering animals to a new owner's property, taking animals to market, or moving animals during a drought in...
and horse breaker, working on such stations as Belalie on the Warrego
Warrego River
The Warrego River is situated in south west Queensland and north west New South Wales, Australia. It is the northernmost tributary of the Darling River....
, and Maaoupe near Penola in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. He was a friend of Harry "Breaker" Morant
Breaker Morant
Harry 'Breaker' Harbord Morant was an Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, poet, soldier and convicted war criminal whose skill with horses earned him the nickname "The Breaker"...
and was described as a quiet-spoken Scot of medium height, with a fair moustache and red complexion. He wrote lyrical and romantic poetry noted for its balladic style, with expressive descriptions of outback life and characters. Will, as he was known, also wrote a great deal of work on English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Scottish themes and his work has been included in collections of English and Scottish poetry. All of his work was originally published in and he is most closely associated with Australia.
His love of the outback, dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s and horses is well-reflected in his work (My Life in the Open, Kelpies, The Australian). A collection of Will Ogilvie's poetry was published in (Saddle for a Throne 1952 ISBN 0-9599299-4-0) and was "Dedicated to Comrades of Camp-fire and Muster"; the book contains a foreword by R. M. Williams
R. M. Williams
Reginald Murray Williams AO, CMG was an Australian bushman and entrepreneur who rose from a swagman, to a millionaire. Widely known as just 'R.M.', he was born at Belalie North near Jamestown in the Mid North, 200 kilometres north of Adelaide, into a pioneering settler family working and training...
, who met him in the late 1940s and who was instrumental in publishing the works.
A formal portrait of Ogilvie posing with his Miniature Fox Terrier
Miniature Fox Terrier
The Miniature Fox Terrier is a small, fine, lightweight working terrier developed as a hunting dog and vermin router. It is known colloquially in its native Australia as the “Mini Foxie”.- Appearance :...
hangs in the National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
A memorial committee was set up Scotland in 1991 to raise funds to promote the name of the Ogilvie and his works.
A cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
to the poet was erected in 1993 between the villages of Ashkirk
Ashkirk
Ashkirk is a small village on the Ale Water, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is located in the former Selkirkshire, on the A7 road, approximately 6 miles each way between Selkirk to the north and Hawick to the south....
and Roberton
Roberton, Scottish Borders
Roberton is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the B711 and near to the A7, five miles from Hawick, 22 miles from Galashiels, and 23 miles from Langholm...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
., there are also memorials to him in Australia. One such memorial is a National Trust roadside cairn adjacent to the old shearers quarters at the former Maaoupe station unveiled on 8 June 1995. It is here he was reported to have written his poem Fair Girls and Gray Horses.
For more information go to their web site willhogilvie
Poetry Collections
- Fair Girls and Gray Horses: with other verses (1898)
- Hearts of Gold and Other Verses (1903)
- Rainbows and Witches (1907)
- Whaup o'the Rede (1909
- The Land We Love (1910)
- The Overlander and Other Verses (1913)
- Gray Horses (1914)
- Fair Girls (1914)
- The Australian and Other Verses (1916)
- Galloping Shoes: verses (1922)
- Scattered Scarlet (1923)
- Over The Grass (1925)
- My Mither's Aunt And Other Verses (1926)
- Hunting Rhymes (1927)
- A Handful of Leather (1928)
- A Clean Wind Blowing : songs of the out-of-doors (1930)
- The Collected Sporting Verse of Will H. Ogilvie (1932)
- Saddles Again (1937)
- From Sunset to Dawn (1946)
- Saddle For a Throne (1952)
- Breaker's Mate : Will Ogilvie in Australia (1996)