John Manifold was an Australian poet worthy of praise <br />He helped keep alive the Australian songs of convict days <br />His original poem 'The Bunyip and the whistling Kettle' remains as an Aussie great <br />Poem of the twentieth century like all good rhyme poems one that does not have a use by date <br />He helped to keep the old ballads of Australia alive <br />And thanks to people like John Manifold such songs still survive <br />A Communist and a socialist at heart <br />From most others he was surely one apart <br />A renowned poet and preserver of old ballads in Australian literature he remains as one of note <br />He helped to keep alive Australia's literary forgotten names such as the convict bard the renowned Frank The Poet <br />Yet he is not seen as an Australian great <br />And his is not a name we wish to celebrate <br />But his contribution to Australian literature and culture was far from small <br />And for that his is a name well worthy of recall.<br /><br />Francis Duggan<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-john-manifold/
