Above: Award winning bush poet Max Pringle with his ‘Clancy’ trophy (a timber bush hat) for top male poet at the recent Victorian state bush poetry titles.
Max Pringle OAM is a prolific, published and prize winning bush poet and although he has a lot of poetry already on paper and there is a probably a lot more to come.
Max has recently returned from Corryong and the Man from Snowy River Bush Festival with the ‘Open Champion Performer’s’ trophy and the ‘Clancy’s Choice Award’ winner’s prize in the Victorian Bush Poetry Championships.
It’s yet another prize in his portfolio.
At this point in his poetry journey Max can reflect on a pretty successful ‘career’ writing, reciting and treading the boards as a performing poet.
He has two anthologies published and another in the pipeline.
Max doesn’t just write and publish bush poetry, he performs his work and sometimes the work of others in an entertaining style.
Max is generous with his time and his writing.
A request from a local person or organisation for a poem dedicated to a special event, occasion or individual brings forth an entertaining piece.
But it was a long time between Max’s first poem and his ‘modern’ era of poetry.
“I wrote my first poem for my brother’s 50th birthday,” he recalls.
“I thought what can I give him? and wrote a poem about something he did as a kid. It wasn’t flash but it started me off. I didn’t write seriously for years after that, and started more seriously about 15 years ago.
“Poetry has always been a part of our life. Mum had an uncle who had poetry published in The Bulletin – he was called ‘Cocky’ – none of the contributes used their real name.
“We always had poetry in the household. Mum recited poetry. We had no television or even a radio growing up at Quorrobolong, near Cessnock.
“We actually had no electricity until I left home and went to Sydney to work.”
Max gave his first public rendition after well known bush poet Carol Heuchan won the Nandewar Poetry Competition in 2006 and visited Narrabri to recite her winning entry.
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