Banjo Paterson
17 February 1864 - 5 February 1941
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson was an Australian poet, journalist, and author. He was born in New South Wales, and began his career as a solicitor before becoming a journalist and later a war correspondent. He is best known for his poems, particularly "Waltzing Matilda" and "The Man from Snowy River." These poems, along with others like "Clancy of the Overflow" and "The Geebung Polo Club," helped to create the Australian legend and have since become an important part of Australian culture. Paterson's work often dealt with the Australian outback and its people, and he helped to create the image of the "larrikin" or the "heeler," a free-spirited, independent Australian. Paterson's poetry continues to be celebrated and remembered in Australia and around the world.