Andrew Barton Paterson is better known as ‘Banjo’ Paterson. His parents were immigrants to New South Wales, Australia, in 1850. He was educated at a small country school, later moved to Sydney to finish his education, after which he was trained and qualified as a solicitor.

The family owned a race horse named Banjo and in his earlier writings Paterson used the pseudonym ‘The Banjo’. It is the name by which he is now known.

In his childhood, he was in contact with drovers, bushrangers and teamsters. His knowledge of the way of life became the basis of his writings including the Australian Bush Myths. He began publishing poems when 21 years old. His first work, The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses was published in 1895 and sold out immediately.
It has remained the most popular collection of Australian poetry.

His interest in politics led him to abandon law studies and he became instead a much-travelled war correspondent, covering the Boer War and the Chinese Boxer Rebellion. He married his wife, Alice, and settled in Sydney becoming father to two children, and continued his journalistic career, movinmg to England, hoping to become a war correspondent during the First World War. Unable to secure a position he became an ambulance driver instead. After enlisting in the Australian Army he spent the war in the Middle East, returning in 1919 to Australia to continue his journalistic career until retirement.

Paterson is known mainly for composing ‘Waltzing Matilda. However, he is also famous for his attempt to improve the lives of his fellow Australians by exposing their hardships to the public.

He died in 1941 at the age of 77.