It's a fart that has echoed around the world - a ballad of explosive proportions.
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McArthur's Fart, first recited in public at Union Hall, Adelaide, on June 5, 1974 - an Australian bush ballad in the tradition of Lawson, Patterson and others - has been recited by bush poets, rock stars, diplomats and judges.
Written for an Adelaide University revue by Rob Bath and Andrew Bleby, it has become a phenomenon, spread around the world by word of mouth... the subject of scholarly research even.
And now, it has been published for the first time in its own right (it has been included in several anthologies) with illustrations by The Senior's long-time cartoonist extraordinaire, Peter Broelman.
If you love a good bush ballad - and even if you don't - this is a fair dinkum Aussie book you need on your bookshelf.
The poem tells the story of the outback town of Bungadell, gripped by drought and with a dead horse blocking the channel from the dam.
The town's only solution was to summon McArthur - flatulence his forte.
"He came on two big horses
With half his bum on each
A bum so big a bloke could drive
A tram between the cheeks!"
The town put on one hell of a feed and, well, nature took its windy course - and how!
McArthur's Fart: A ballad of explosive proportions, RRP $29.90, including free post to anywhere in Australia (save $6 on two books; save $12 on three books) HERE
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