[AT] My Turn/Matilda

[Roy Morgan]

On Feb 6, 2009, at 3:51 PM, CEE VILL wrote:

>
> I cannot verify that, Roy.  My thoughts were with the Movie "On The  
> Beach".  Waltzing Matilda (the song) played repeatedly during the  
> movie.

Charlie and others,

Well, i seems that my info is not right on what Waltzing Matilda"  
meant.  I did a little searching and found this:

At:
http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/3-Meanings.html
...
WALTZING MATILDA The act of carrying the ‘swag’ (an alternate  
colloquial term is ‘humping the bluey’).

Matilda is an old Teutonic female name meaning ‘mighty battle maid’.  
This may have informed the use of ‘Matilda’ as a slang term to mean a  
de facto wife who accompanied a wanderer. In the Australian bush a  
man’s swag was regarded as a kind of de facto wife, hence his  
‘Matilda’. (Letter to Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Churchill, KG from Harry  
Hastings Pearce, 19 February 1958. Harry Pearce Papers, NLA Manuscript  
Collection, MS2765)
...

I had not seen the movie "On the Beach" though I've heard of it.   
Sounds a bit grim.  I have seen the clip showing the wind blowing the  
coke bottle near the telegraph key, I think.

Thanks to all.

Roy


Roy Morgan
k1lky at earthlink.net
529 Cobb St.
Groton NY, 13073