NEW  ZEALAND FOLK * SONG	Russian Jack Bob Lovell, 1989

Lady Barker tells her English friends about swaggers in 1870

" The custom of the country demanded that you should ask no questions, but simply tell any travellers who claimed your hospitality where they were to sleep, and send them in large supplies of mutton, flour, and tea.

"On one occasion a party of four swaggers made their appearance when I was alone at our Station just at sundown. No true swagger ever appears earlier, lest he might be politely requested to move on to the next station; whereas if he times his arrival exactly when the shades of night are falling fast, no boss could be hard-hearted enough to point to mist-covered hills and valleys, and desire the wayfarer to go on further." MORE

The Shiner Click to enlarge

Shiner Slattery was our most famous swagger.

In 1869 Ned Slattery emigrated from Ireland with his family to Australia where he was attracted to the goldfields. About 1873, however, he arrived in New Zealand and, although he was considered a good harvester and reliable all-round farm hand, he preferred a swagman's life.

Everywhere he went he was accepted as an honest and highly educated man, in spite of a limitless repertoire of tricks and devices which he employed with great success in his efforts to do as little work as possible for the rewards offered... MORE

And Merv Addenbrooke remembers swaggers in 1910

"I was about the age of nine when we moved from Mangamahu to Hunterville. I don't remember swaggers at Mangamahu but our Onga Road property at Hunterville connected up with long-distance roads everywhere.

"My sister May kept a tally of the number of swaggers who called in to get something to eat on their rounds and the number was 120. They usually came singly, but once in a while two would turn up asking for a shakedown somewhere. They were usually sent to shearers' quarters to bed down and sometimes were told to come for a meal, which was always eaten in the kitchen.. MORE

Russian Jack, Barrett Crumen

The name Jack was applied to many New Zealand swaggers. Our roads were walked by Jack the Bear, Canterbury Jack, Spring-heeled Jack, Dublin Jack, Fistie Jack and Hellfire Jack - and more than one Russian Jack. 'Russian' was regularly applied to any swagger with a thick Eastern European accent. "Our Russian Jack died on the roadside at Ponatahi," said one informant. And there was a Russian Jack who worked the gumfields of Northland.

But the 'Russian Jack' known throughout the lower North Island was Barrett Crumen. He was born in Latvia, in 1878 and by the 1900s he was working as a seaman on small coasting ships in New Zealand.

He then took to labouring on the back country stations of Wairarapa. He was an immensely strong man who worked as a scrubcutter and shedhand at Awhea Station for many years in the period around World War I.

As the years moved on, so did Russian Jack, mostly through the roads of Manawatu and Wairarapa, but in the years after World War 2 also exploring much of the North Island.

He was originally very tall and strong, but as he aged, he seemed to be shrinking and his feet were giving him more and more trouble. In mid-1965, he was admitted to Pahiatua Hospital suffering from frostbitten feet. He was transferred to a geriatric ward, where he was asked why he had roamed the roads for so many years.

"Man oh man, I vos FREE! Free to have a beer, have a smoke, - happy what you can call all the time, you know. They was free days."

He died on September 19, 1968. MORE

Bev Young remembers Russian Jack

"Your mention of Russian Jack, John, takes my mind back to when I was a child and Russian Jack stayed at our house. I was only about 4 and a half and we were living in a settlement called Homewood, on the East Coast of the Wairarapa. Dad was working as a roads labourer and for the rabbiting board. Interesting times for my young parents who's minds still harked back to the time of the 2nd world war.

"Anyway, we lived in this wee cottage in the middle of no where and my mum tended her 60 Rhode Island Reds and sold the eggs, and made her own butterŠ you know the kind of thing. Russian Jack stayed with us at least twice, perhaps three times. He would never sleep in the house, preferring the outdoors, so my parents made him a bed of hay in a redundant bathtub which awaited installation in vain on the back porch.

He seemed a happy guy and not at all scarey, tho my sister said he smelled bad. I never noticed that. He had very intense eyes and leaned down to talk to us. He seemed to think we should dislike him which, of course, made us like him the more.

"He did odd jobs for my dad, who in turn mended his boots, which were very worn and holed. And he had a curious layer of newspaper on his head and chest which he said kept out the cold, and wads of newspaper stuffed in his ears.To keep out the bugs, he told my horrified mother. He was very deaf, so we all had to shout, but it could just have been the wads!

"When he went off on his travels, my parents would fill his two billy cans, one with milk and the other with eggs, and off he'd go with his billies dangling off his pack.

"We found a wee pile of stones with an arrow of stones pointing to our house. Dad said it was a signal for a sanctuary on the road and that we should leave it alone. My parents liked him because he would milk the cows and stuff, but when another traveller turned up my dad took him in dislike and sent him away. He didn't want to work, my dad said.

"My parents were travellers themselves , in their way, and shortly after Russian Jacks' last visit we moved away. But it was a happy place with happy memories, and a large part of what made it memorable was Russian Jack."

Bob Lovell

Bob Lovell is an Auckland singer-songwriter with a Rom (Gipsy) heritage. He has produced a CD Rokkraben O Gillia (Talking the Songs) to help keep the Romani language alive. "Juki, Lee & Gary contributed their lyrics to three of the songs. thus giving the CD an international flavour. So I honour my Prala. "Then I thought about what other songs and tried to chose traditional songs that I play and relate directly to the Romani/Traveller/Tinker way of life as it once was in the UK, and elsewhere. "Plus one or two originals of mine, one in honour of my father and one about a tramp who was rather well known here in New Zealand, who I met a few times when I was a chavo." Listen to these songs on Real Audio from BBC Kent When the Yogomush lies sleeping Roadman's Lament Gypsy Davy Epping Forest Kalo Chiricklo Gary's Puro Dadus Russian Jack I Kom I could've Shooned the Juva Gilly The Roving Journeyman Easy and Free Farewell

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Published on web - March 2007