Aussies sometimes like to wallow in gloom (“This drought will never end”; “Record floods coming, I reckon”; “Looks like another bad bushfire season” …)
The expression ‘said Hanrahan’ is a quote from a bush ballad, usually uttered to identify someone who’s being a prophet of doom, gloom and utter despair.
The ballad is called ‘Said Hanrahan’ and was written by a bush priest, Patrick Hartigan (1878-1952) under the penname of ‘John O’Brien’.
It tells the story of a bunch of cockies who gather before church to squat on their heels, chew on a bit of bark, and talk about farming conditions.
Hanrahan is the gloom merchant of the bunch., either from too little rain, or too much, or rain at the wrong time, or the river being too high, or too low, or the summer being too hot, or not hot enough.
Whatever happens Hanrahan is certain will bring about drought, flood, bushfire, bankruptcy and the collapse of commodity prices (or, quite possibly, all of the above).
Here's a small part of the poem:
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
In accents most forlorn,
Outside the church, ere Mass began,
One frosty Sunday morn.
And so around the chorus ran
“It’s keepin’ dry, no doubt.”
“We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“Before the year is out.”
In God’s good time down came the rain;
And all the afternoon
On iron roof and window-pane
It drummed a homely tune.
And, oh, the smiles on every face,
As happy lad and lass
Through grass knee-deep on Casey’s place
Went riding down to Mass.
“There’ll be bush-fires for sure, me man,
There will, without a doubt;
We’ll all be rooned,” said Hanrahan,
“Before the year is out.”
You should read the whole poem—it’s a delight. You’ll find it in Around the Booree Log and Other Verses by John O’Brien (look for it in your local library).
And who are the ‘Hanrahans’ of today? The climate alarmists! If it’s wet—that’s climate change. If it’s dry—that’s climate change. It’s it hot—that’s climate change. If it’s cold—that’s climate change. Nothing that happens ever proves them wrong. Everything blessed thing is caused by climate change! And it’s all a disaster— ‘we’ll all be rooned!’
This is a reminder to pay no attention whatsoever to climate alarmists.
Tonight I will be a panellist on 'The Sunday Showdown' on Sky News -- 8pm AEST.
The September-October issue of Australia Geographic is in newsagents now (with a brilliant picture of a rainbow lorikeet on the cover). Inside (along with a lot of great stories) are my two columns: 'Ozwords' and 'Placenames.'
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