In Memory of an Unknown

In Memory of an Unknown was Commissioned by the Liechhardt Espresso Chorus in 2004 as part of the Song Cycle ‘The Outback Suite’. It was toured by the choir under the leadership of Michelle Leonard with Paul across NSW for Year of the Outback.

The haunting photograph of an unmarked gravestone found on the Elsey Station in the Northern Territory, which featured in Thomas Keneally’s ‘Outback’, written in 1983, inspires this piece. The moving image, accompanied by the written accounts of Jeanie Gunn, author of ‘We of the Never Never’, and Thomas Keneally’s personal experiences on the remote property, capture entirely the enigma and the enormity of the outback.

Anna-Creek-GraveThat rugged, lonely, magnetic space which covers most of Australia is an unknown entity to many Australians, yet the history of the area and its people is an important part of Australian history. From the First Australians, to the sojourners, wagoners, stockman and explorers, there are a variety of dramatic stories and folklore. Many of the first European ‘wanderers’ of the land perished due to the harsh conditions and some were lost into the landscape without ever having an identity. This piece is for them.

Sample recording courtesy of the Hillcrest Christian College Choir, directed by Jenny Moon

Themes

Sing a history Sing a message Sing an Australian story
Duration 3:30
Key A Minor with modulations
Range Standard SA and SATB
More info
Price AU$3.00 per copy

Lyrics

I N   M E M O R Y   O F   A N   U N K N O W N                        

By Paul Jarman
                       
They brought him in from Warloch Ponds
Ten dry miles away
Too far gone to hope for
The stockman died at dawn

An ageing gravestone stands alone
It’s face without a name
Beneath here lies a wanderer
Another man unknown

And a good mate was hard to find
In the land of Wait-a-While
A good mate was hard to find

And so they came the wagoners
Drifters over land
To forge a life in silence
Among the burning sands

The promise of a richer life
This is what they said
You can conquer anything
But death in Never Land

An ageing gravestone stands alone
It’s face without a name
Beneath here lies a wanderer
Another man unknown

© Paul Jarman 2004