Martin PattieAustralian Bush Poet

Martin Pattie is a bush poet from the wild pointy end of Queensland.

He lives horribly wedged between a rainforest, a river and an iconic Bush Pub in tropical paradise just south of Cooktown.

Marty loves the Far North Queensland lifestyle (which is a local euphemism for having a drinking problem). He's travelled the length and breadth of Australia and spent several years overseas, yet returns like a dog to its vomit time and again to the great Far North.

His poetry seems to reflect his lifestyle and surrounds; a bit feral and uncivilised . . . but lots of fun. He tells wacky yarns of unfortunate hippy kids, fat dead blue dogs, cows on cannabis and farmers who back over their wives. His rhymes are delivered with a wit that is raw and sardonic.

Despite being advised to never reproduce, Marty has played a minor role in setting up a production line of beautiful baby daughters, though they're described in one of his poems as:

Bastards as ugly as bags full of spanners and rude little bastards without any manners

He tolerates them unreservedly. That production line was recently brought to a grinding halt with his marriage to long-time partner, Ruth.

Martin's poetic influences from an early age have been many and varied. From Dr Seuss, those old VB jingles and his Mum's Pam Ayres books to Bruce Dawe, Oscar Wilde and of course, Henry and Banjo. He appreciates the disciplines involved in the structure and creation of traditional Australian Bush Poetry, yet revels in the larrikinism of the performance of the slapstick doggerel.

He's had a modicum of success in various performance and written competitions, both serious and humorous, though he indulges largely for enjoyment which results in his competitive urges being trumped by his drinking desires.

Thank the good lord for poet's brekkies!