Singer John Williamson celebrates five decades with Old Man Emu

One of John Williamson’s most beloved songs has just been made into a book. He reflects on how the tune changed his life, and how the pandemic has changed his industry.

True blue: Singer-songwriter John Williamson has just released a new picture book adaptation of his song Old Man Emu. Picture: Luke Marsden.

EVERYONE has a favourite John Williamson song.

Whether its True Blue or Rip Rip Woodchip, with 500 ballads to the legendary Aussie singer’s name there’s plenty to choose.

But the 74-year-old says the song most people “still go crazy for” was his first, Old Man Emu, written on a tractor 50 years ago when he was an unknown wheat farmer in northern NSW.

“I wanted to write an anthem and we were surrounded by emus because they loved wheat country,” John recalls.

“It came to me on the tractor and was the first song I even attempted to write. It threw me in the deep end, a No. 1 song for weeks.

“I knew it was a success when I performed it at the Imperial Hotel in Moree and the crowd went crazy. I sang it three times in a row.

“It’s still the song that goes off more than my others, even possibly more than True Blue.”

Old Man Emu has now been adapted into a picture book, with illustrations by Simon McLean, to celebrate not only the 50th anniversary of the anthem, but also John’s career. The book is his third — with his two other picture books, Christmas in Australia and My Dad Snores — and comes on the back of his planned 2020 Winding Back tour, delayed to next year because of coronavirus.

New release: Old Man Emu, published by Puffin, is available now.

Speaking on the phone to The Weekly Times from his bush block in the Queensland hinterland, where he lives with his wife, Meg, the grandfather of eight says the book will appeal to young and old, a lighthearted antidote to an at times “heavy world”.

“The song has never died, it is introduced to kids every year. It’s nostalgic, a larrikin song, very light hearted, about our coat of arms, a race between an emu and a kangaroo.”

As those in the west of Victoria will proudly tell you, the Mallee Boy was raised in Quambatook, the eldest of five boys, where his parents farmed wheat crops, and his cousins continue farming today.

His parents were amateur performers and at the age of seven John learnt to play the ukulele, later the guitar and harmonica.

At the age of 19 the family moved to Croppa Creek, near Moree, and for seven years John was a wheat farmer on the family’s 5600ha property, eventually selling his share to his brother.

“I was either going to be a farmer or a singer,” John says, adding his brother still farms about 2000ha in the district. “We got hit in 1965 with one of the worst droughts and we lost 3000 acres of wheat with frost. I wouldn’t go back to farming now, it’s too big a gamble.

“Entertainment is a tough game, but it doesn’t compare to the disappointment of that loss. It encouraged me to try something else.”

It was in 1970 that John performed Old Man Emu on TV show New Faces, with the win leading to his first recording contract.

“People said you are mad, you’re on the land, entertainment is a tough game.

“I wanted to write songs for Australia. Back then hardly anyone had an Aussie accent.”

He has sold more than five million albums and won a swag of awards, with his work highlighting issues close to his heart including conservation and the push for Australia to be a republic.

He believes over the past five decades Australian songwriting has evolved to be freer, “to be ourselves”.

“I think singers would find it hard to be successful now if they didn’t sing about us and sound like us.”

With his daughter Ami Williamson following in her father’s footsteps, John says it’s a tougher industry to crack into, especially in light of coronavirus.

“I’ve had a good career but I feel sorry for the struggling artists.

“Ami was doing cruises but now she’s looking after her kids.”

John says his delayed 2020 tour is not about retiring but “winding back, which means slowing down”.

Even during the pandemic he has written two songs, yet to be recorded in his Sydney studio, about looking forward post-covid, although he adds “I don’t know where the songs come from half the time”.

“My agent calls me a workaholic. In a normal year I still tour about a third of the time. I don’t like airports so much but I love Australia.

“I’m looking forward to next year’s tour, but after 50 years I’ve kind of enjoyed not having to go everywhere during lockdown.

“I’ve never been able to have chooks because I’m away. Now it’s allowed me to grow vegies and actually harvest them. Half the time I’m away when we have ripe avocados, passionfruit or mangoes.

“I still love the smell of soil and when you get a good crop it’s amazing.”

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