Belinda Castles

Dennis and the Songs of a Sentimental Bloke.

So we're going poetry.

And for me, what was interesting about C.J.

Dennis, I came across him, my grandfather had a copy of Songs of a Sentimental Bloke.

And up until then in school, the sort of poetry that we'd done was the traditional stuff.

So, you know, Tennyson, Barrett Browning, a bit of Kenneth Slessor,

Banjo Patterson, of course, and suddenly here was this poetry that was really Australian.

It was not quite slang, but vernacular, you know, blue collar, back streets, and it was still absolutely marvellous poetry.

And each poem tells a story in itself, but the whole book tells an ongoing story of the sentimental bloke and his life.

And that was just amazing for me, and to come across some of those amazing words that they were using during the period was just lovely.

Dennis?

Apologies to anyone who's a real Dennis aficionado.

So this would be the poem, The Intro.

So this is when the sentimental bloke first, I should say, claps eyes on the woman that he falls in love with.

Her name's Doreen.

Well, spare me bloomin' days.

You coulda knocked me down with arf a brick.

Yes, me, what thinks I know their ways, and has a name for smoochin' in our clique.

I just lines up and tips a saucy wink, but strike the way she piled on dog, you'd think a bloke was giving backchat to the Queen.

Her name's Doreen.