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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 6 (September 1, 1937.)

Will Lawson — A Successful New Zealand Poet

page 49

Will Lawson
A Successful New Zealand Poet

One of the “New Zealand Railways Magazine's” most valued contributors is Will Lawson who now resides in Sydney. About seven years ago this former Wellingtonian wrote his first novel. Since then he has written others, but did not offer any of them to publishers until 1934, when Angus and Robertson accepted and published “The Laughing Buccaneer.” The first edition of this thrilling book has sold out and motion picture rights have been sought by one producing company.

Mr. Lawson's first job was with the Union Steam Ship Company in Wellington where he occupied the position of office boy. Perhaps this association with the sea accounts for his love of ships which is ever-present in his work. This preference for the sea may, or may not have been the cause of Will's father indenturing his son to the A.M.P. as junior clerk for three years! The change did little to alter his state of mind, and Will dreamed of the sea as he filed papers referring to people who had insured their lives.

One day, a fellow clerk who was an artist by inclination, heard that a new ship called the Ionic had come into port. After a day's toil in the office the two youths went down to the wharves in the hope of seeing over her. They were fortunate in getting hold of a Liverpool fireman who had worked on the Mauretania and other huge liners on the Western Ocean. After showing them over the ship he told them thrilling stories of happenings at sea. Will gave him a half-a-crown—all' that he had—for the man had given him inspiration for his first piece of verse. As he walked homeward these lines ran in his head:

(Rly. Publicity photo.) The Ohinemutu thermal area, with Lake Rotorua in the background, North Island, New Zealand.

(Rly. Publicity photo.)
The Ohinemutu thermal area, with Lake Rotorua in the background, North Island, New Zealand.

“Stowed deep below her load-line
Ten feet to twenty-five,
We faced the glaring dazzle
And made good steam to drive. …”

Will missed dinner that night, working on the rest of the verse which he named “Stokin.”' He was very proud of the refrain which went like this:

“To the clank, clank, clank and the bangin'
And the rattle of the heavy furnace doors,
Which is best—to loaf and starve or die by hangin'
Or sweat your life out toilin' on these floors.”

Very pleased with himself Will sent the verses to the Bulletin and waited with impatience the verdict. It came in the form of a cheque for two guineas. The happy youth thought himself made for life. He continued his writing in spite of the fact that it was a rule forbidding employees to earn money outside of the firm. For several years his verses appeared under the pen-name of “Quilp N.”

Locomotives attracted Will as much as ships, and the sight of a fast train always moved him to exaltation of thought. Then one day the lines of his immemorial verse “The Flyer” came to him. This was inspired by the Night Mail for Christchurch passing a level crossing at which Will stood. One verse is as below:

A whisper afar through the dead light
That lies on the lonely gums—
A dazzling beam from her headlight
And a shuddering rail that hums—
A muffled roll like the throbbing
Of myriad screws off shore,
And a labouring, rhythmic sobbing
That grows to a steady roar—
A strident call where the levels
Dip down and the red roads cross—
And a furnace and the two red devils,
And a barrel that gleams a-toss …
And so you have seen us racing,
You'll stare till our tail-lights wheel
But only the night-wind, chasing
Can follow our flying steel… .

During the past three years, further novels from Will Lawson's pen have added greatly to his reputation as a writer.