Poetry Notes
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. Poetry Notes Spring 2012 Volume 3, Issue 3 ISSN 1179-7681 Quarterly Newsletter of PANZA Caddick as ‘declaiming passionate Inside this Issue Welcome verses’ and ‘ignoring his wound’ fresh from the trenches. Caddick who had Hello and welcome to issue 11 of returned from the First World War and Welcome Poetry Notes, the newsletter of PANZA, by then become a teacher at Wellington 1 the newly formed Poetry Archive of College was also a former student at Mark Pirie on The Old Clay New Zealand Aotearoa. Victoria University College. It was at Patch (Victoria College) Poetry Notes will be published quarterly Victoria that Caddick wrote verses, anthology and will include information about edited and contributed to The Spike (the goings on at the Archive, articles on student magazine) and appeared in the historical New Zealand poets of interest, Classic New Zealand influential anthology of verse and song, poetry by Rev. J H Haslam occasional poems by invited poets and a The Old Clay Patch, edited by fellow 5 record of recently received donations to undergrad students, F A de la Mare and the Archive. S Eichelbaum. Cricket poetry references New publication of Robert The newsletter will be available for free J Pope’s poetry abound within the pages of this book. 6 download from the Poetry Archive’s The Old Clay Patch contained a website: significant amount of university Comment on Louis capping, extravaganza and sporting Johnson by Niel Wright http://poetryarchivenz.wordpress.com songs as well as verse. My cricket 7 poetry anthology, A Tingling Catch, Comment on Tiki Cootes took its title from a line by one of the Mark Pirie on The Old Victoria songwriters of the period, 9 Seaforth Simpson Mackenzie, a future Clay Patch (Victoria lawyer: ‘For the wicket true, and the New publication by College) anthology field in fettle, / and the man who’s safe 10 PANZA member for a tingling catch’ (‘Sports Chorus’, 1907). Eichelbaum, de la Mare, Mackenzie, Donate to PANZA through Wellington poet, publisher and cricket A F T Chorlton and others like women PayPal writer Mark Pirie discusses the poets Erica R Fell (later Erica R influential Victoria College anthology Wilson), Esma North (a future The Old Clay Patch that ran in to Recently received Headmistress at Wellington Girls’ several editions up till 1949. donations College), Mary E Heath (later Mrs Ballantyne) and Marjory L Nicholls Recently, I was researching New About the Poetry Archive (later Marjory L Hannah who died early Zealand poet, teacher and cricketer, in a bus stop accident) formed a literary A E Caddick. He was the subject of a group at Victoria in the early 1900s.1 cricket-related poem by one of The older Hubert Church2 (from PANZA Caddick’s students at Wellington Tasmania via Oxford, England) was PO Box 6637 College, the late poet and chemist also part of this group, but he was not a Marion Square Ronald B Castle. sportsman. He suffered a blow to the Wellington 6141 That particular poem references Castle’s head from a cricket ball at the age of 12. student days and describes Master . Spring 2012 Chorlton later described the group’s Class for St James. In annual inter- and ethics in industry. Eichelbaum ‘halcyon days’ as forming a pre-World college cricket matches, Caddick’s (d. 1952) after a brief stint as assistant War I ‘Golden Age’ replete with Victoria team came up against Sir to a Professor in English at Victoria was alluring barmaids and set against the Arthur Donnelly’s Canterbury College admitted as a barrister and solicitor in backdrop of the developing city of team. Caddick often bowled, and in the 1912 but did not practice, preferring to Wellington: 1913 match (after Donnelly was well set sit instead after war ended on the and scoring quickly) had him reaching Victoria University College Council for It was all different in 1907; the city forward, only to tickle one behind into 29 years and also on the Senate of the growing and growing fast, electric the gloves of the keeper, Howe; out for University of New Zealand for 10 years. trams, wood-paved streets, a new 38. Chorlton perhaps the least Wellington College awarded the Town Hall, and new buildings going significant of the four, in sporting terms, ‘S Eichelbaum English Prize’ in the up everywhere, including Victoria had a rugby and cricket interest; he may 1930s. At the time of his death, College on its “old clay patch”, where have played both games as a young he was New Zealand director for the “top floor” was still the “hop man. Chorlton, a classical scholar, was a S Oppenheimer and Company, New floor”, and The Spike flourishing, ‘scion of a wealthy Manchester family York - the sausage casing manufacturers. with contributions in prose and verse steeped in the Liberal tradition’. He Eichelbaum also worked with German that are still worth reading. arrived from overseas in 1901 finding refugees in the 1930s and 1940s. work as a farmhand then teacher after The best of their contributions to The being unable to complete his degree at Spike3 (a group-initiated literary outlet Oxford for family reasons. and inclusively-minded student paper) After Victoria, de la Mare (d. 1960) and which began in 1902 came to form The Mackenzie (d. 1955, Melbourne, Old Clay Patch in 1910 - an anthology Australia) became lawyers. which had a second edition in 1920 and a third edition in 1949 mainly to commemorate respectively the end of the First World War and the Second World War. The 1949 edition included ’40s student-poets Alistair Campbell, W H Oliver, Lorna Clendon, Hubert Photo: S Eichelbaum, 1929 Witheford and Pat Wilson. by S P Andrew, Papers Past Little known, however, is that editors de la Mare and Eichelbaum and Caddick (d. 1960) became a teacher, contributors Caddick and Chorlton were author of a secondary school English also keen sportsmen as well as scholars. text, Schoolmaster and Headmaster I’ve researched their names and found Photo: F A de la Mare, The Spike Jubilee number, from NZ Electronic Text Centre (West Christchurch High, Christchurch much of sporting interest in their lives. Boys’ High). Chorlton (d. 1963), not Perhaps de la Mare is the most De la Mare, who became an officer 2nd finishing his degree, became a journalist significant of the four. De la Mare was a Lieutenant, continued to publish editing for the Evening Post from 1907, schoolboy athletics champion, and at a troopship journal while at war. working with the like-minded literary Victoria was a runner, cricketer, Entitled The Waitemata Wobbler (and and sport-orientated C A Marris (who swimmer, rugby footballer and tennis co-edited with poet Dick Harris and left briefly for The Sun and also edited player. He represented New Zealand H E M Rowland), it was printed in The Referee but rejoined The Post till Universities at tennis in the doubles and Capetown and included prose and verse. his retirement in 1945). combined championship in 1906 and at It was noted in The Observer (9 June rugby vs. Sydney in 1908. 1917) for its ‘very special excellence’. Eichelbaum was born in San Francisco His interests included the Howard and was educated at Wellington League for Penal Reform (along with College. While at Victoria, he was a poet Blanche Baughan and others) and tennis and hockey player and played the Save the Children Fund. Among his cricket for the Wellesley Club. Caddick other publications were a privately (educated at Mt Cook Boys’ School and printed tribute to G B Lancaster, the Wellington College) was a member of popular colonial fiction writer, and legal the Victoria Debating Society. He also publications on matters such as played rugby and tennis at Victoria, gambling, prison reform, academic competed in swimming, and was a freedom (which included a foreword by cricketing enthusiast for the First XI. He Photo: A E Caddick, 1940 from his former Professor G W von Zedlitz) had earlier played Junior rugby: 4th The Evening Post, Papers Past 2 . Poetry Archive This quartet of poet-cricketers publication was a war poem, ‘Reverie’, Where are the bruised limbs (Eichelbaum, de la Mare, Chorlton and in the 1920 and 1949 editions of The Once black and blue with standing at Caddick) kept up their cricket interest. Old Clay Patch, and I’ve not found the wicket; Caddick played cricket for the Victoria cricket verses by him, although he is What is the cloud that dims University College Cricket Club for said to have contributed comic sporting His fame at cricket? many years (1908-mid 1920s) and was a verse to NZ Truth in the 1920s. Niel member of the Schoolmasters’ Sports Wright has also found a possible poem Why is he never seen Club. He became a stalwart for the translation by Caddick in The Spike A footballer at Miramar, together Victoria club, also a team selector and signed ‘C’. De la Mare does not write With wearers of the green, club captain and was a life member in about cricket in the songs I’ve seen by Chasing the leather? 1922. Caddick while at Wellington him. College also coached the rugby team, Here are Chorlton’s and Eichelbaum’s Say why the fair youth shirks which was undefeated during his time cricket-related verses; neither are His round of manly sport, and what his as coach. Eichelbaum, after his playing autobiographical, both are satirical. A plea is, days were over, became a patron for reviewer in The Evening Post noted Who, like Achilles, lurks both the Victoria tennis and cricket Chorlton’s satire after Horace when it With what Briseis.