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Jim Haynes (writer)

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Jim Haynes
OAM
Born
James Albert Haynes[1]

1946 (age 78–79)[2]
Sydney, Australia
Occupations
  • Writer
  • entertainer
  • broadcaster
  • humorist
  • songwriter
  • historian
SpouseRobyn McMillan
Websitewww.jimhaynes.com.au

Jim Haynes OAM (born 1946, Sydney)[2] is an Australian entertainer, bush poet, historian and songwriter.[3][4] As of May 2025, he has published more than 30 books, all of which focus on Australian history, Australiana and bush poetry.[5][6] As a musician, he is best known for the songs "Mow Ya Lawn" (1989), "Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga" (1994) and "Since Cheryl Went Feral" (1997).[7][8][9] In 2016 he received a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the performing arts as part of the Australia Day Honours.[5][1]

Early life and career

[edit]

Haynes' father was a Royal Navy officer stationed in Australia during the Second World War. After the war, he settled there with Haynes' mother, also a British migrant, who he had met during his service.[3][10][11] Haynes grew up in Botany, New South Wales[9] and attended Sydney Boys High School and Sydney Teachers College. He later earned two master's degrees in literature, one each from the University of New England and the University of Wales.[4][10][11]

Haynes worked as an English teacher at Macintyre High School,[12] Inverell High School[6] and Gunnedah High School,[13] as well as in Menindee.[11] He was one of the original staff members at Macintyre, which opened in 1974. He retired from teaching to work full-time as a musician in 1988.[10][6]

Career

[edit]

Music

[edit]

While teaching in Inverell in 1977, Haynes formed the Bandy Bill & Co Bush Band.[6][9][3] He left the group but returned in 1985.[9] They recorded Modern Day Swaggies (1986)[14] and Spinnin' Yarns, both on the indie label Hadley Records.[citation needed] At the same time, he worked weekends at 2NZ radio station and began contributing to the show Australia All Over on ABC.[6][15] He moved back to Sydney in 1988 and released "Mow Ya Lawn", a comedy song, on Festival Records the following year.[9][16] It was a finalist for a 1991 Tamworth Songwriting Association Award.[17] Its B-side was a song about airline deregulation in Australia.[9] He signed onto Festival's Kookaburra label in 1990 and subsequently wrote That Rugby League Album, which was the label's first release.[18][19] In 1991, he and Russell Hannah released Sleepers and Rails, also on Kookaburra, an album of "railway music" inspired by rail transport in Australia. Its tracks featured other Australian folk singers include Ted Egan, Judy Small, Eric Bogle and John Broomhall.[18]

In 1994, Massive Records released the song "Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga", which was co-written and produced by Greg Champion and performed by Haynes, Champion, and Ted Egan.[8][20][21] The song charted[which?] at number 2[citation needed] and Warner/Chappell Music then signed Haynes to a deal that included both songwriting and publishing.[21] "Since Cheryl Went Feral", a single about Cheryl Kernot, spent 26 weeks in the country music charts,[which?] five of which were at number one.[3][22] In 1994, he was also involved in the Bridge of Love Project along with other country artists to raise awareness of children's issues, such as homelessness, in Australia.[23][24] The 1995 album Here I Am was composed primarily of songs written or co-written by Haynes.[25][24] Felicity Urquhart made a guest appearance on the album.[24] In 1997, he released It's Nothing Serious, also produced by Champion, on ABC Music.[8][26][20] Haynes has toured with artists including Slim Dusty, Adam Brand, Melinda Schneider, Lee Kernaghan Greg Champion and Beccy Cole.[3][27][20] In 2012, he released an album of new songs, Galah Occasion, featuring duets with Wayne Horsburgh and Melanie Dyer.[28]

Haynes spent 15 years touring schools around the country with his children's educational show Singabout Australia.[3][24] Singabout Australia is also the name of his label, on which he has released several of his albums and at least one book.[29] Haynes served on the board of the Country Music Association of Australia for 15 years and hosted the Big Bush Brekky Variety Show at the Tamworth Country Music Festival for 32 years until his retirement in 2017.[6][29][30] Haynes also co-founded the Stone The Crows Festival in Wagga Wagga with Grant Luhrs and Chrissy Eustace.[3] It was held annually from 2013 to 2022 and was host to the gReyVee Awards, which recognised bush poets over 50.[31][32][33]

Poetry and history

[edit]

Haynes wrote his first book in the early 1990s[12] and has since published more than 30 books. His first publications were bush poetry and centered on the imaginary town of Weelabarabak and its residents.[25][34] This included I'll Have Chips!, which he debuted at the Tamsworth Festival in the mid-1990s.[25][20] It won Book of the Year at the Australian Bush Laureate Awards in 1996.[35] ABC Books published his short story compilation Memories of Weelabarabak in 1999.[36] His subsequent books focused on Australian history, including the anthology The Book of Australian Popular Rhymed Verse (2008), which the Australian Bush Poets Association claimed was the "largest collection of Aussie rhymed verse ever", exceeding 800 pages.[37] It was nominated for an award in the Australian Rhymed Verse (Book Form) category at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.[20] He won Book of the Year awards at the Bush Laureates for An Australian Heritage of Verse (2001), An Australian Treasury of Popular Verse (2004) and The Book of Australian Popular Rhymed Verse (2009).[35] Haynes also wrote a weekly column called Aussie Verse for the Australasian Post until the paper's closure in 2004.[citation needed]

His other books cover a wide range of topics and include All Aboard – Tales of Australian Railways (2004), On All Fronts – Australia's WW2 (2010), Australia's Most Unbelievable True Stories (2013) and Great Australian Rascals, Rogues and Ratbags (2022).[38][39][40] Haynes joined 2UE's George and Paul show, hosted by George Moore and Paul B. Kidd, in 2001 as an Australiana expert.[11][3] He remained on the show until it ended in 2019.[11] In the 2020s, he has appeared on Overnights each week to talk about Australian history.[41][42] Haynes also leads History and Heritage tours in different parts of Australia through Travelrite.[10][11]

Haynes arranged the first Bush Poetry Fireside Festival in 1993 and co-founded the Australian Bush Laureate Awards in 1995. Both events are held annually at the Longyard Hotel in Tamworth.[29][34][25]

Personal life

[edit]

Haynes and his wife Robyn McMillan curated an art show about the Sydney Harbour together in 2023.[43][10][11] They lived in the Sydney suburbs of Kingsford in 2001[4] and Moore Park in 2024.[11] Haynes is a supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.[9]

Awards and honours

[edit]
Year Award/Honour Work Awarding body Notes Refs
1995 Comedy/ Novelty Song of the Year "Weelabarabak for Me" Tamworth Songwriters Awards [25][20][7]
1996 "Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga" Co-written with Greg Champion [7]
Book of the Year I'll Have Chips Australian Bush Laureate Awards [35]
1997 Australian Country Music Hands of Fame Australian Country Music Hall of Fame [3][6]
Comedy/ Novelty Song of the Year "Since Cheryl Went Feral" Tamworth Songwriters Awards Co-written with Roger Corbett [7][44]
1998 Album of the Year Dipso Dan & Other Silly Buggers Australian Bush Laureate Awards Co-written with John Kane [35]
1999 Comedy/ Novelty Song of the Year "The Video Song" Tamworth Songwriters Awards Co-written with Rita and Mary Schneider [7][45]
2001 Book of the Year An Australian Heritage of Verse Australian Bush Laureate Awards [35][46]
2004 An Australian Treasury of Popular Verse [35]
2005 Comedy/ Novelty Song of the Year "My Grandad" Tamworth Songwriters Awards Co-written with Michael Carr [7]
2009 Book of the Year The Book of Australian Popular Rhymed Verse Australian Bush Laureate Awards [35]
2015 Life Membership Australian Country Music Association [6]
2016 Medal of the Order of Australia Service to the performing arts Governor-General of Australia 2016 Australia Day Honours [1][5][6][3][10]

Solo albums

[edit]
  • 1990 :That Rugby League Album[25][9]
  • 1990: Jim Haynes Live[25]
  • 1990: I Lobster and Never Flounder[47]
  • 1991: Sleepers and Rails[25]
  • 1994: Here I Am (EMI) [25][48]
  • 1997: It's Nothing Serious (ABC Music)[8]
  • 1998: Dipso Dan & Other Silly Buggers (with John Kane)[35]
  • 1998: Ratbag (ABC Country)
  • 1999: It's Not Cricket (ABC Music)
  • 2002: Live - Life's a Laugh (Singabout Australia)
  • 2004: Words of Wisdom (Compass Bros Records)
  • 2011: The Decline Effect[49]
  • 2011: The Complete Jim Haynes Collection[50]
  • 2012: Galah Occasion (Singabout Australia)[28]
  • 2023: Inauspicious (Helen Scarsdale Agency)[49]

Books

[edit]
  • 1997: 'I'll Have Chips!' - The Weelabarabak Ballads, Singabout Australia. ISBN 978-064-622-447-3
  • 1999: Memories of Weelabarabak – Stories of a Bush Town, ABC Books. ISBN 0733306306
  • 2000: An Australian Heritage of Verse, ABC Books. ISBN 978-073-330-898-7
  • 2002: An Australian Treasury of Popular Verse, ABC Books. ISBN 073-331-022-2
  • 2003: Great Australian Drinking Stories, ABC Books. ISBN 073-331-326-4
  • 2004: All Aboard – Tales of Australian Railways, ABC Books. With Russell Hannah. ISBN 073-331-499-6
  • 2005: Cobbers – Stories of Gallipoli 1915, ABC Books. ISBN 978-073-331-593-0
  • 2005: Great Australian Racing Stories, ABC Books. ISBN 073-331-600-X
  • 2006: Great Australian Aviation Stories (with Jillian Dellit), ABC Books. ISBN 978-073-331-707-1
  • 2008: The Book of Australian Popular Rhymed Verse, ABC Books. ISBN 978-073-331-904-4
  • 2009: The Big Book of Verse for Aussie Kids, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-174-237-084-2
  • 2009: The ABC Book of Australian Country Music, ABC Books. ISBN 978-073-332-566-3
  • 2010: On All Fronts – Australia's WW2, ABC Books. ISBN 978-073-332-600-4
  • 2010: The Great Australian Book of Limericks (second edition), Allen & Unwin. First edition published 2001. ISBN 978-174-237-327-0
  • 2012: The Best Australian Sea Stories, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-174-237-125-2
  • 2015: The Best Gallipoli Yarns and Forgotten Stories, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-176-011-179-3
  • 2015: The Best Australian Yarns (second edition), Allen & Unwin. First published 2013. ISBN 978-176-011-306-3
  • 2016: Australia's Best Unknown Stories (second edition), Allen & Unwin. First published 2014. ISBN 978-176-029-107-5
  • 2017: The Big Book of Australian Racing Stories (second edition), Allen & Unwin. First edition published 2015. ISBN 978-176-063-240-3
  • 2017: Great Australian Scams, Cons, and Rorts, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-176-029-650-6
  • 2018: The Best Australian Trucking Stories (second edition), Allen & Unwin. First edition published 2011. ISBN 978-176-063-332-5
  • 2018: Best Australian Drinking Stories, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-176-063-290-8
  • 2018: Best Australian Racing Stories (second edition), Allen & Unwin. First edition published 2010. ISBN 978-176-063-331-8
  • 2018: Australia's Most Unbelievable True Stories (second edition), Allen & Unwin. First edition published 2016. ISBN 978-176-063-241-0
  • 2019: The Best Australian Bush Stories (second edition), Allen & Unwin. First edition published 2013. ISBN 978-176-052-907-9
  • 2019: The Big Book of Australia's War Stories, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-176-087-561-9
  • 2020: Adventurers, Pioneers and Misfits: Australia's Most Amazing True Life Stories, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-176-087-762-0
  • 2022: Great Australian Rascals, Rogues and Ratbags, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-176-106-790-7
  • 2023: Heroes, Rebels and Radicals of Convict Australia, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-176-118-797-1
  • 2022: Great Furphies of Australian History, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-176-087-981-5
  • 2024: The Big Book of Australian Yarns, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-76147-186-5

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Australia Day Honours 2016: the full list". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b Haynes, Jim (10 January 2024). Siron, Claudia (ed.). "Aussie Legend Jim Haynes On Our Rebellious Heroes". That's Life!. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Franks, Rebecca; Conway, Doug (26 January 2016). "Country music funnyman awarded in Australia Day Honours". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Listen to the beat". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 29 December 2001. p. 113. Retrieved 16 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c Lipke, Wendy (29 November 2024). "The Big Book of Australian Yarns by Jim Haynes". Queensland Review. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Shumack, Naomi (28 January 2016). "Entertainer Jim Haynes awarded Order of Australia Medal in 2016 Australia Day Honours List". Inverell Times. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Tamworth Songwriters Association Past Winners". Tamworth Songwriters Association Online. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d "Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga!". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales. 22 December 1997. p. 1. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Jarvis, Susan (29 April 1990). "Jim Haynes sings of dinky Aussie culture". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 170. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Tasmania history and heritage tour with Jim Haynes". Travelrite International. 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "History & heritage tour & cruise of Australia with Jim Haynes". Travelrite International. 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  12. ^ a b Shumack, Naomi (12 January 2018). "Former Inverell local Jim Haynes on new book". The Inverell Times. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  13. ^ Kelly, Maureen (December 2015). "The 2015 FAW awards luncheon" (PDF). Writers Voice. No. 250. Fellowship of Australian Writers. p. 16. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Modern Day Swaggies". National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  15. ^ "At the Podium with Jim Haynes OAM". In the Cove. 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  16. ^ Mangan, John (15 December 1989). "Singles". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. p. 38. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "1991 TSA awards finalists". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 13 January 1991. p. 150. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b Jarvis, Susan (1 December 1991). "Tales of the iron horses immortalised on track". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 169. Retrieved 16 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Publisher gives recording a spin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 18 March 1990. p. 177. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Camden (January 1996). "Are you the type who drops your Wagga from your Wagga Wagga?" (PDF). Vol. 3, no. 1. The Australian Bush Poets Association. The Australasian Post. p. 12. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  21. ^ a b "Warner/Chappell Music signs Jim Haynes" (PDF). No. 12. The Australian Bush Poets Association. December 1995. p. 16. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  22. ^ "Tamworth Inc tunes up again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 18 January 1997. p. 5. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Williamson, Melanie (2014). "Why there still needs to be a Bridge of Love Project - Founder's message". The Bridge of Love Project. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  24. ^ a b c d "Busy Times and New Directions for Jim Haynes" (PDF). No. 11. The Australian Bush Poets Association. December 1994. p. 9. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i Jarvis, Susan (28 May 1995). "Here's the serious side of Jim Haynes". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 150. Retrieved 16 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "New release" (PDF). Vol. 3, no. 10. The Australian Bush Poets Association. October 1996. p. 20. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  27. ^ "Country". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 10 March 2000. p. 59. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  28. ^ a b "New with Jim". Australian Country Music News. Country Music Bulletin. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  29. ^ a b c "Country Timelines – Tamworth Milestones". History of Country Music in Australia. September 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  30. ^ "Bush poet brekkies on again". Australian Country Music News. Country Music Bulletin. 15 January 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  31. ^ "gReyVee Awards". Stone the Crows Festival. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  32. ^ Dodge, Taylor (15 July 2023). "Wagga's Stone the Crows Festival organisers announce its end". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  33. ^ Roe, Chris (24 August 2022). "Over 50s festival cancelled as crows are left with nowhere to land". Region Riverina. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  34. ^ a b Jarvis, Susan (30 May 1993). "Yarns at the Longyard". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. p. 152. Retrieved 16 May 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h "Australian Bush Laureate 2015 winners". Australian Bush Laureate Awards. 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  36. ^ "Memories of Weelabarabak : stories of a bush town / Jim Haynes". Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
  37. ^ "The Book of Australian Popular Rhymed Verse" (PDF). Vol. 15, no. 3. The Australian Bush Poets Association. Summer 2008. p. 7. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  38. ^ "Books by Jim Haynes". Allen & Unwin. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  39. ^ Arnold, Alex (8 October 2014). "How station got a name change to Dunmore - Shellharbour". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  40. ^ "All aboard! great Australian railway stories / selected by Jim Haynes". Trove. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  41. ^ "A Song With Jim Haynes – 'Don't Call Wagga Wagga Wagga'". 2GB Sydney. 31 January 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  42. ^ "Jim Haynes' not-so-famous Aussie characters". 4BC Brisbane. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  43. ^ "Estate & Collector - May 2023". Davidson Auctions. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  44. ^ Annual report of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Report). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1997. p. 110. Retrieved 20 May 2025 – via Trove.
  45. ^ Annual report of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Report). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 119. p. 106. Retrieved 20 May 2025 – via Trove.
  46. ^ Annual report of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Report). Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2002. p. 176. Retrieved 20 May 2025 – via Trove.
  47. ^ "I Lobster and I Never Flounder". National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  48. ^ "Here I Am". National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  49. ^ a b Nosnibor, Christopher (30 November 2023). "Jim Haynes - Inauspicious". Aural Aggravation. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  50. ^ "Entertainment". Mornington News. 10 March 2011. p. 18. Retrieved 19 May 2025 – via issuu.
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