After thirty five years of teaching in both Primary and Secondary Schools, Noel Stallard resigned in order to take the traditional bush poetry to the young and not so young people of Australia.
At first Noel concentrated on the works of the poet-priest, Monsignore Patrick Hartigan better known under his pen name of John O'Brien because Noel believed this unsung pioneer poet had much to offer modern Australians.
Over the past eleven years Noel having gained the Approval Card of The Queensland Arts Council, has performed for students and adults in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT and internationally in Ireland. Noel has broadened his range to include Banjo Paterson, C.J. Dennis, Henry Lawson and a variety of modern bush poets.
In recent years Noel has written his own bush poetry, and in 2001 had his first book published entitled, "Chalk Dust and Bull Dust". More than 1000 copies were sold that year and the book is now into its fourth printing.
At the Tamworth Country' Music Festival in January 2002 Noel won the Golden Damper Award for Traditional Bush Poetry reciting C.J. Dennis' poem "The Play". He also won the Golden Damper Award for his Original Bush Poetry piece, "Both Ladies Wore Red". (In the fifteen years history of the competition only one other poet has achieved the double success in the one year)
In 2003 he won his third Golden Damper Award with a performance of Bobby Miller's, "Raymond" in the Traditional Section and gained Second Place in the Original Section with his own poem, "All Present and Correct", a tribute to the last Anzac, Alex Campbell.
These Golden Damper Awards are to Bush Poetry what the Golden Guitars are to Country Music. He also won First Place at the John O'Brien Festival in Narrandera for Written Bush Poetry in the traditional section with, "Jack Riley-Bushman Game" and First Place in the comedy section with, "Both Ladies Wore Red".
| His highest achievement as a bush poet to date, is winning the 2003 Australian Championship at Mulwala. This required the performance of six poems in two days of competition. This is Australia's highest award for a performing bush poet. |
Noel is active in the local scene encouraging newcomers and peers and has been the President of the Australian Bush Poets Association for the past four years.
In 2009, Noel's first children's book "The Bush Animals Band" was awarded the Australian Bush Laureate Award for the 'Best Children's Poem of the Year'. He has also published his second children's book "See What I See in the Sea".
Noel has a strong belief that, if we want to know who we are and where we are going; then we need to know who we were and where we came from. Thus the importance of our traditional bush poetry. |
