Darren De Bortoli wants the grave of McNamara acknowledged and a statue built in town. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Winery supremo Darren De Bortoli says its highly likely the inspiration behind Banjo Paterson’s iconic 1889 poem Clancy of the Overflow is buried in Griffith. He believes this legacy should be acknowledged to help ensure the town becomes known for more than just “marijuana and mafia”.
The Clancy character, who was celebrated for his carefree outback drover lifestyle, also appeared in Paterson’s Man From Snowy River.
According to a 1939 article in the Nambour Chronicle, Clancy is based on Thomas Michael McNamara, a Queensland drover who spent the last few years of his life in Griffith, where he died in 1943 at age 94. His tombstone is at the town’s cemetery.
“He came to Griffith after his wife passed away to live with his two daughters, who had moved here with their husbands from Queensland in 1912,” Mr De Bortoli said.
“They moved to the area because the water dams were being built; they would’ve known the importance of having a reliable water supply.”
Mr De Bortoli said the Clancy story epitomised that of Griffith’s early settlers, who were seduced by the rural lifestyle and worked hard to establish farming ventures that laid the foundation for future prosperity.
“I think it’s absolutely crazy that the town of Griffith doesn’t acknowledge the very strong likelihood that he was the inspiration for the character Clancy and was probably even the background story of the Man From Snowy River,” he said.
“I’d like the grave to be acknowledged and we should even erect a statue to Thomas McNamara.”
Clancy of the Overflow celebrates that a drover’s life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know. Photo: Amazon.
Whether or not McNamara is Clancy is a matter of historical dispute, with some claiming that Paterson’s character is based on a man named Thomas Clancy, a drover who lived in Central NSW from the 1860s to the 1880s.
“You can have arguments about whether or not McNamara is the real Clancy, but that’s part of the fun,” businessman Paul Pierotti said.
“We are already seeing banter about it on Facebook, so it’s creating engagement and educating people about our history.”
Mr Pierotti said funding for a monument could be sourced from the $3 million federal and state governments gave to Griffith to enhance its CBD.
He believes these grants are “blood money” from governments that are stripping away our livelihood via buybacks of irrigation water. But now that we have it, the funds could be put to good use.
“So far they’re talking about painting signs, a digital billboard and fairy lights, that’s all nice but it doesn’t fit the criteria – which is an economic generator and tourism focus,” he said.
“Darren’s idea of a monument to Clancy of the Overflow, with reference to Thomas McNamara, is something we can build on, with festivals and tourism.”
Mr Pierotti said he was sick of his hometown being referred to as “the pot capital of Australia”, which is how former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull labelled Griffith when he visited as a journalist in 1977.
“When you tell people you’re from Griffith, they immediately say marijuana or mafia,” he said.
“We can change that. We haven’t sold our compelling story, our forefathers built this town and we’ve become the food and fibre engine of the nation. Clancy could be part of this story.”
Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Region Riverina.
