Brad Murray is a capable man, a self-described jack of all trades.
Based on a remote central Australian cattle station, 350 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs, he earns a living as a ringer.
"I do whatever the boss wants me to do, mainly truck driving and cattle work, I fix a few things," he says.
But Mr Murray has another skill set, which many people might not pick.
He writes poetry.
This week for the first time, he will enter a poem, titled Send Help, in a poetry competition when entries open for the Camooweal Drover's Camp Festival.
Wheels turn on truck and in mind
Mr Murray has written about 20 poems, with themes of family, loved ones, COVID-19 and life in the bush.
"I'll run them through my head and I usually put them on the notes on the phone, while I'm poking along in the truck," he says.
"Some things really flow. If someone says 'write a poem on this' it doesn't work. It's just sort of got to come naturally.
"If it comes naturally, I can write, I don't know, maybe one, two, three a day."
Mr Murray hasn't studied creative writing, but the stockman has always had "a flair for English" and listened to a lot of Slim Dusty.
Stories with humour and rhyme
Australian Bush Poetry Association life member Brenda Joy is one of the bush poetry judges for the competition at the Camooweal Drover's Camp Festival.
She says bush poetry is storytelling with humour, rhyme and meter.
She says it often features strong characterisation.
"It encompasses all issues that concern people in the city as well as in the outback," she says.
"It has a uniqueness about it that other forms of poetry might not have, because all the terminology, we stick to Australian ways of expression, which are quite different to other countries that speak English."
Ms Joy says it is important to continue the tradition of bush poetry, because it is a way of remembering Australia's history, the Australian way of life and developing national identity.
"It's a really interesting and fascinating way of people learning about the culture of Australia," she says.
"It's a way of presenting Australiana in a way that's very interesting, and not sort of dull, old, you know, looking through journals, that sort of thing."
Writing for fun
Mr Murray says writing bush poetry is also a way to fill in time when he is alone.
"I don't think it's a form of expression, not for me anyway," he says.
"It's just writing for fun.
"I get bored and I suppose I'm a little bit ADHD sometimes and I write a bit of poetry to keep myself going."
His poems have become quite popular with his Jervois Station workmates, but his biggest fan is his mother.
"She'll put them everywhere," he says.
"Probably on the toilet wall, knowing her."
