Colin Munro (b. 1940) and the Making of a Significant Australian Folklorist’s Career

Abstract

Colin Munro must be seen as one of the most significant shapers of Australian identity in and for the twentieth century. For it was largely he who ‘restored a bush ethos’ to war-weary Australians in the third quarter of the century. Engaging, direct, charismatic even, Colin gave sincerity, strength and a new sense of nationhood to Australians after the Depression and World War Two. Quite simply, he defined Australian domestic identity’s bush character and refocused for us an infinite respect for all rural battlers and the builders of modern Australia.