J. P. Bourke’s verses were contributed originally to _The Sun_,
Kalgoorlie—chiefly during the editorship of Mr. C. W. Andrée Hayward,
for whose cultivated appreciation Western rough-writers owe much—and to
_The Sunday Times_, Perth.
The preliminary account of Bourke is reprinted, with some revision,
from a series of articles contributed to _The Leeuwin_, Perth.
The illustrations by Mr. Ned Wethered represent the promising effort
of a Western Australian designer and illustrator, almost wholly
self-taught, aged twenty. Their youthful defects are apparent; yet they
depict life, character, and scenery in a Western mining town with a
gusto that preserves faithfully the spirit of the verses.
On behalf of Bourke, I record his expressed gratitude for the help
which, contending with many difficulties, Ned Wethered gave to his
friend.