Gundagai’s Famous Canine: Myth of the Dog on the Tuckerbox
Located in the heart of New South Wales, Australia, the quaint town of Gundagai is home to an enduring symbol of Australian folklore – the dog on the tuckerbox. This cultural landmark embodies the Australian spirit’s resilience, tenacity, and humour and has become an iconic monument. The story behind the dog on the tuckerbox has surpassed its origins and has become a beloved part of the country’s heritage.
The legend of the dog on the tuckerbox dates back to the mid-19th century during the construction of the Sydney to Melbourne railway line. Gundagai, situated along the route, became a significant hub for bullock teams and their drivers who transported goods between the two cities. Life on the road was challenging, with gruelling journeys that tested both man and beast’s endurance.
The Origin
The statue’s inspiration can be traced back to a poem called “Bullocky Bill,” published anonymously by “Bowyang Yorke” in 1857. The poem humorously narrates a series of misfortunes a bullock driver faces, ultimately ending with his dog either sitting on or defecating on the food in his tucker box.
BILL THE BULLOCKY (By “Bowyang York”).
As I was coming down Conroy’s Gap
I heard a maiden cry:
“There goes Bill the Bullocky,
He’s bound for Gundagai.
A better poor old ———
Never cracked an honest crust;
A tougher poor old ———
Never drug a whip through dust.
“His team got bogged at the five mile creek,
Bill lashed and swore and cried,
‘If Nobby don’t get me out of this
I’ll tattoo his ——— hide.’
But Nobby strained and broke his yoke,
And poked out the leader’s eye;
And the dog sat in the tucker box
Five miles from Gundagai.”
The Legend:
In the 1920s, Jack Moses wrote a less offensive poem than Bowyang Yorke’s. However, it referred to Bowyang Yorke’s poem “Nine Miles from Gundagai”. In Moses’ poem, a dog guarded the tuckerbox by sitting on it. The poem became famous and inspired the creation of a statue. Later, in 1937, Jack O’Hagan published a song titled “Where the Dog Sits on the Tuckerbox (5 miles from Gundagai)”, and Moses’ poem was included in his collection, “Nine Miles from Gundagai”, which was published in 1938.
Nine Miles From Gundagai
I’m used to punching bullock teams across the hills and plains
I’ve teamed outback these forty years in blazing droughts and rains
I’ve lived a heap of troubles down without a blooming lie
But I cant forget what happened to me nine miles from Gundagai
Twas getting dark the team got bogged the axel snapped in two
I lost my matches and my pipe ah what was I to do
The rain came on twas bitter cold and hungry too was I
And the dog sat in the tucker box nine miles from Gundagai
Some blokes I know have stacks of luck no matter how they fall
But there was I lord luvva duck no blessed luck at all
I couldn’t make a pot of tea nor get my trousers dry
And the dog sat in the tucker box nine miles from Gundagai
I can forgive the blinking team I can forgive the rain
I can forgive the dark and cold and go through it again
I can forgive my rotten luck but hang me till I die
I cant forgive that blooming dog nine miles from Gundagai
But that’s all dead and past and gone I’ve sold the team for meat
And where I got the bullocks bogged now there is an asphalt street
The dog ah well he took a bait and reckoned he would die
I buried him in that tucker box nine miles from Gundagai
The monument
A monument was erected in 1926, nine miles away from Gundagai. Two years later, Frank Rusconi, a stonemason, suggested a memorial based on the legend of the dog on the tuckerbox. In 1932, the Back to Gundagai Committee decided to take up the proposal. They chose the Five Mile camping site over the Nine Mile Peg as the location for the monument because it was more convenient to the Hume Highway and closer to the town, making it more beneficial for tourism.
Rusconi made a small clay model and sent it to Sydney, where a mould and a small bronze replica of the dog were cast at Oliver’s Foundry. After some minor modifications, the mould was enlarged and then cast in Olivers in Sydney. Rusconi thought the original plan for the dog was too much like a “thoroughbred”, and he changed the design to make it more like the “mongrel” dogs the drovers “really” used. Pattern maker Richard Fowler created the memorial’s base, also done at Oliver’s Foundry.
The dog on the Tuckerbox monument was unveiled in 1932 during ‘Back to Gundagai’ week. A large crowd gathered to witness the statue’s unveiling by Prime Minister Joseph Lyons on November 28, 1932. In addition to the monument, a souvenir shop was opened. Consequently, Gundagai Hospital, which holds the copyright of the memorial, received royalties from firms using its image for many years.
Later history
Since 1992, a festival to celebrate the “Dog on the Tuckerbox” monument has been held annually. The festival, which marks the 60th anniversary of the statue, includes a two-day Snake Gully Cup Racing Carnival and other festivities at the Dog on the Tuckerbox Centre.
Vandalised and Pilfered
On October 27, 1981, a group of students from the Canberra College of Advanced Education (now known as Canberra University) stole the statue as a prank under the cover of darkness. When the locals of Gundagai discovered their beloved dog statue was missing, the news quickly spread, and a nationwide search began. Later that morning, officers at Belconnen police station in Canberra received an anonymous tip-off. They immediately rushed to the campus, where they located and seized the dog statue. However, the perpetrators had already disappeared by then.
“We weren’t treating the situation lightly,” she recalls. “We thought what a stupid prank it was to steal a national icon, and we were focused on finding it and returning it to its rightful home.”
Melita Zielonko (Ret. Police Officer, Belconnen)
Unfortunately, in July 2019, the statue was vandalised when it was dislodged from its plinth, causing damage to the face and breaking off an ear. However, it was repaired and unveiled again on August 17, 2019. Sadly, a few months after its grand re-unveiling, someone deliberately chiselled away the name of Prime Minister Lyons from the base of the monument, presumably as a political act. According to Rusconi, the only way to fix this was to remove the marble slab and have it reworked.
Five mile creek
The Five Mile was initially established as an overnight stop on the overland route between Sydney and Melbourne. During the 1860s gold rush era, hopeful diggers prospected in the area. As time passed, a small farming community, which included a vineyard, grew up around Five Mile Creek in the 1880s.
Also, at the five-mile point, there was an inn run by Joseph and Rosanna Carberry. They opened the Limestone Inn in 1858, which had twelve rooms, a cellar, a detached kitchen, a storeroom, stables, and other stone-built outbuildings. The inn primarily catered to travellers passing between Melbourne and Sydney. In April 1861, Brushrange’ Jack in the Boots’ and an accomplice robbed patrons and staff of their money. After the Carberrys left, the inn was managed by a succession of licensees until it finally closed its doors in 1976.
Symbolism of Resilience:
The Dog on the Tuckerbox is an enduring image that symbolises the resilience of those who faced the harsh conditions of 19th-century Australia. The dog’s statue standing steadfast on the tuckerbox is a metaphor for the unwavering spirit of the pioneers and labourers who contributed to the nation’s development despite adversity.