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Outback Songman: My Life
The life of one of Australia's great raconteurs and bush musicians, told in his own words.
368 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2019
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About the author
Ted Egan
18 booksTed Egan AO, is an author, acclaimed singer/songwriter, and National Living Treasure of Australia. His interest in Australian history, and particularly
World War I, originated from the fact that his mother, Grace, had three brothers who served at Gallipoli. One brother, Jack Brennan, died of wounds received there as a stretcher-bearer. The other two brothers served out the entire war and returned to Australia, both with impaired health. From his mother, especially, Ted developed an anti-war stance, although this is balanced by a firm belief that Australia should at all times be able to defend itself effectively. He wrote his first Anzac song, ‘Song for Grace’, on the basis of the story his mother told him as a child. He subsequently produced an album of 20 songs around this topic recorded on the CD that is included in this work.
Ted Egan was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “contributions to the literary heritage of Australia through song and verse”. He was appointed Administrator (Governor) of the Northern Territory from 2003-2007, and was awarded Territorian of the Year in 2000. He is currently completing a PhD, on the first Administrator of the Northern Territory.
World War I, originated from the fact that his mother, Grace, had three brothers who served at Gallipoli. One brother, Jack Brennan, died of wounds received there as a stretcher-bearer. The other two brothers served out the entire war and returned to Australia, both with impaired health. From his mother, especially, Ted developed an anti-war stance, although this is balanced by a firm belief that Australia should at all times be able to defend itself effectively. He wrote his first Anzac song, ‘Song for Grace’, on the basis of the story his mother told him as a child. He subsequently produced an album of 20 songs around this topic recorded on the CD that is included in this work.
Ted Egan was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “contributions to the literary heritage of Australia through song and verse”. He was appointed Administrator (Governor) of the Northern Territory from 2003-2007, and was awarded Territorian of the Year in 2000. He is currently completing a PhD, on the first Administrator of the Northern Territory.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 4, 2019
The book could almost be reviewed in two words: Utterly Engaging! Rarely have I become more quickly involved in an autobiographical work, and so well entertained by it from first page to last. Ted provides a lot of life information but never bogs down in minutiae; chapters, too, are short, keeping the story moving along at quite a clip. Beyond that is the author’s humour.
Ted is a man of many parts. Off to school at just three years of age, he began as he continued, ever the youngest in class. He never had problems passing exams but admits the situation turned him into an ‘absolute smart arse.’ Leaving school, he became a Melbourne bank johnnie for a while before heading off to work on a horse stud at Toowoomba.
Ted and a friend went to Darwin. approaching the Department of Works and Housing seeking employment. A succession of jobs bearing ever higher levels of responsibility for the welfare of indigenous communities engendered a two-way respect between him and the native people with whom he connected. There were great ills in the way white people and white government over time dealt with the first Australians, and Ted could see many of the problems.
Then, one day, he met a nuggety little bureaucrat, by the name of Dr H C “Nugget” Coombs. Through him came an opportunity for Ted to do more and to go further with the work he’d already begun. The association, though, despite being greatly successful, came to an end one day as Ted drove along an earthen road in the Territory. His life needed to take a different direction. Stopping his car, he leant against the dusty bonnet to write three lines of resignation.
Ted spent three decades doing a three-night-a-week gig in an Alice Springs hotel entertaining busloads of tourists. A natural raconteur and songwriter, this would develop into one of the most amazing musical careers in Australia, second only to the late Slim Dusty. Among many other awards, he holds a Golden Guitars Lifetime Achievement.
The humour is latent throughout. Despite all the years of songwriting, Ted can not read music. His one instrument – and on this he’s undoubted world master – is the Fosterphone, an empty Foster’s beer carton. One day, in a recording studio with professional musicians, asked why he inserted one bar of five-four tempo in a song, he had no idea what they were talking about. Then the producer laughed and said he had no idea either, but it worked. Leave it in.
Obviously, work it did, and very well indeed. Over the years, he has recorded no fewer than 30 albums!
Ted, on a visit to Wales with his third wife Nerys, when asked if he’d been to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwillllantysiliogogogoch, replied, “No, but I once drove slowly through Warawarapirililiyelamalakupulanimalkanandrakurakurataraninna” (the Aboriginal name for Lake Howitt on the Birdsville Track).
From 2004, aged 71, he became Administrator of the Northern Territory, thanks in no small part to his experience and understanding from working in and sharing with Aboriginal communities, and his fair-minded manner of dealing with all people. Nerys called their four year, seven day and seven night a week experience “A geriatric fairytale.”
I must end with a touch of Ted’s humour:
“The most exciting thing for me is what good parents (my grand and great-grandchildren have). I keep telling them it’s the inheritance of good genes, so they can all anticipate bunions!”
A warm and engaging book about Ted Egan AO, a warm and engaging personality. Highly recommended.
Ted is a man of many parts. Off to school at just three years of age, he began as he continued, ever the youngest in class. He never had problems passing exams but admits the situation turned him into an ‘absolute smart arse.’ Leaving school, he became a Melbourne bank johnnie for a while before heading off to work on a horse stud at Toowoomba.
Ted and a friend went to Darwin. approaching the Department of Works and Housing seeking employment. A succession of jobs bearing ever higher levels of responsibility for the welfare of indigenous communities engendered a two-way respect between him and the native people with whom he connected. There were great ills in the way white people and white government over time dealt with the first Australians, and Ted could see many of the problems.
Then, one day, he met a nuggety little bureaucrat, by the name of Dr H C “Nugget” Coombs. Through him came an opportunity for Ted to do more and to go further with the work he’d already begun. The association, though, despite being greatly successful, came to an end one day as Ted drove along an earthen road in the Territory. His life needed to take a different direction. Stopping his car, he leant against the dusty bonnet to write three lines of resignation.
Ted spent three decades doing a three-night-a-week gig in an Alice Springs hotel entertaining busloads of tourists. A natural raconteur and songwriter, this would develop into one of the most amazing musical careers in Australia, second only to the late Slim Dusty. Among many other awards, he holds a Golden Guitars Lifetime Achievement.
The humour is latent throughout. Despite all the years of songwriting, Ted can not read music. His one instrument – and on this he’s undoubted world master – is the Fosterphone, an empty Foster’s beer carton. One day, in a recording studio with professional musicians, asked why he inserted one bar of five-four tempo in a song, he had no idea what they were talking about. Then the producer laughed and said he had no idea either, but it worked. Leave it in.
Obviously, work it did, and very well indeed. Over the years, he has recorded no fewer than 30 albums!
Ted, on a visit to Wales with his third wife Nerys, when asked if he’d been to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwillllantysiliogogogoch, replied, “No, but I once drove slowly through Warawarapirililiyelamalakupulanimalkanandrakurakurataraninna” (the Aboriginal name for Lake Howitt on the Birdsville Track).
From 2004, aged 71, he became Administrator of the Northern Territory, thanks in no small part to his experience and understanding from working in and sharing with Aboriginal communities, and his fair-minded manner of dealing with all people. Nerys called their four year, seven day and seven night a week experience “A geriatric fairytale.”
I must end with a touch of Ted’s humour:
“The most exciting thing for me is what good parents (my grand and great-grandchildren have). I keep telling them it’s the inheritance of good genes, so they can all anticipate bunions!”
A warm and engaging book about Ted Egan AO, a warm and engaging personality. Highly recommended.
August 26, 2020
I have had several engagements with Ted while living in Alice Springs - a fantastic storyteller in verse and song. I was totally engaged from the start. He has done it all in the territrey as the Northern Territory is referred. He grew up in suburban Melbourne in a working class family during WWII. He has rubbed shoulders with the best and least known countrymen and women in his long productive life, playing footie (both Australian rules and Rugby), working in government, as a musician, and for a time the Administrator of the Northern Territory. In that role he met the Queen, Prince Charles as well as the King and Queen of Sweden and the Crown Prince of the Netherlands. While never having studied music he has composed some of the first songs about Australia's Aboriginals in a respective way, some of which are now considered classics. And he has performed all over Australia with travels abroad as well with his songs and Fosterphone (a cardboard beer case played as percussion), he was also an teacher and administrator of schools. His story is the quintessential Australian story.
March 15, 2025
Wow! An Australian National Treasure and a worthy title for this man- what a wonderfully full life and a great storyteller. Anyone who is interested in Australian history and life in post war years is in for a treat. Public servant, teacher, entertainer and former Administrator of the Northern Territory are but a few of the roles Ted Egan has turned his hand to. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author. It kept us entertained on a very long road trip. Highly recommend. It is also worth visiting his catalogue of songs - over 30 albums including children’s songs and songs in indigenous and foreign languages- he really is a man with many talents.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews