The Cunnamulla Fella

The Cunnamulla Fella is a song written by Stan Coster and sung by Slim Dusty. He is an iconic Australian Bush character. The town of Cunnamulla has erected a statue of the Cunnamulla Fella as a tribute to Stan and Slim and to the ‘ringers’ of the bush. The statue is double life size bronze. It was created by sculptor Archie Sinclair from a drawing by Mike Nicholas. The statue is located in front of the Paroo Shire Hall in Cunnamulla gazing across the centre of the town. The Cunnamulla Fella Statue was unveiled on November 18, 2005 by Russel, Jane and Tracy Coster and Ann Kirkpatrick.

Never was this more so than in the 50s and 60s when Australia was riding on the sheep’s back, wool was pound for pound and cattle were worth their weight in gold. This vibrant era provided endless employment opportunities for young lads just out of school when most finished at year eight to work on the sheep and cattle stations.

These young fellows, many only 15 or 16, worked long, hard hours from sun up to sun down often seven days a week mustering sheep, chasing scrubbers and breaking in horses. At the end of a hard day’s work they would squat around the campfires on their saddles or swags yarning about the day’s events.

The town was booming as the large properties employed so many men. When they came to town the pubs would overflow and these young fellas could be seen squatting around the streets in the classical pose. It was around this time that Stan Coster wrote the song The Cunnamulla Fella, later immortalised by the late Slim Dusty. The lines from the song that refer to the Cunnamulla Fella are:

“Now I’m a scrubber, runner and a breaker too,
I live on damper and wallaby stew,
I’ve got a big cattle dog with a staghound cross,
I never saw the scrubber we couldn’t toss,
‘Cause I’m the fella from Cunnamulla
Yes I’m the Cunnamulla Fella”

As a tribute to all these young fellas who worked the land and the late Slim Dusty, a project by the Paroo Shire Council, which had taken two years to bring to completion, came to an end as the Cunnamulla Fella was unveiled to the public on Friday 18 November, 2005.

The idea to turn a folk legend into a reality was first accepted by the Council late 2003 when it was decided to run a nation-wide competition asking those interested to sketch up in any medium their vision of the Cunnamulla Fella. It was felt if such a project could be brought to completion it would be a fitting tribute to the late Slim Dusty who together with his family and band members had performed in Cunnamulla many times over the years. In fact many Slim Dusty fans were broken hearted at the news of his death and requested Council to do something in memory of Slim.

The Council received around 50 entries in the art competition from all over the country. The winner however, chosen by Council in early 2004, was of a young squatting stockman after a hard day’s work, sketched by Michael Nicholas from Brisbane, who also had strong family connections with Cunnamulla.
Mike had worked in Cunnamulla as a Policeman in 1960 and witnessed for himself the way of life in western Queensland.

The sculptor Archie St Clair was Territory born and bred and from his early teens had been involved with the cattle industry, amongst other things, as a ringer, stockman, rodeo rider, bull catching, competing in work championships, station manager and helicopter mustering contractor. For years he had been perfecting the art of bronze sculpturing specialising in monuments and outback heritage related pieces.

On Monday 10th October the completed Cunnamulla statue was transported from the city of Grapevine Texas, where he was created, to Brisbane, and with the help of Brisbane City Council was displayed for two days in the Queen Street Mall. Thousands of people had the opportunity to be photographed with him, read the story and learn more about Cunnamulla and the Paroo Shire.

The Cunnamulla Fella arrived home via St. George Freightliners on Tuesday 18th October, 2005, and after finishing touches by Archie, volunteers and Council Staff, was displayed on the lawns of the Shire Hall in the centre of town.

On the site where the Cunnamulla Fella now stands as a tribute to all the hardworking stockmen and to Slim Dusty, Stan Coster and others, once stood the
New Western Hotel and the public bar where many of the men he honours enjoyed a cold one.

For locals perspective on the Cunnamulla Fella, check out this ABC interview with long term local Les Capewell