It was night time in the Bush. The only light came from the star-filled skies. Not a cold night, but certainly cold enough to light a camp fire. Anyway they'd had to light a fire to cook their tucker and boil their billies. Now they ate their food in silence, tired from a hard day's sheep shearing. Hywel Comer decided to broach a subject that he'd had on his mind for some time.
    "What we need in Australia is a national anthem."
    The four others turned to him.
     "We already got one," said Matt, "We're all ignorant bastards."
    "That's a national anathema, you uncouth bush buzzer," said Hywel. "I said a national anthem."
    "And what the hell is a national anthem?" said Hilda.
    "Well it's a sort of patriotic sing," Hywel explained. "You know, like they have in England." He sang a couple of bars. "God save our gracious King, God save our noble King......"
    "We already got a national anthem, Hywel," said Matt "I already writ one."
    "Yes I know you did Matt, but I don't think 'God save Foster's Lager' is quite the sort of thing we're looking for."
    "I bet I've writ the sort of thing we're looking for," said Walt.
    "You've writ a song too, Walt? " said Hilda.
    "And it's real bonzer song too," said Walt. Just listen to this." He began to sing, to the tune of 'Waltzing Matilda'. "God save our gracious King, God save our noble King, G-o-o-od save the Ki-i-i-ing." He broke off. "Well what d'you think?"
    "Well the tune ain't bad," said Hywel, "but the words are the same as the British words. Our anthem ought to have Australian words in it."
    "Right," said Hilda. "That's what I say, too. Our anthem should be all about a native of Australia, like a swagman."
    "What the hell is a swagman when he's at home?" said Walt.
    "He's sort of a bush traveller, I think," said Hilda. "If you want to know exactly, why don't you look it up in Zing's Australian dictionary."
    "I'll do it," said Zing, the most educated of the five, reaching for his dictionary. "Swagman, did you say?"
    "That's right," said Hilda.
    "What letter does it come under?" said Zing?
    "'S' I think, "said Hilda.
    "That'll be on page two then," said Zing. He opened the book and began to read off. 'Sheep, a four legged animal....Sheep, a four legged animal....Sheep, a four legged animal... Must have given all the sheep an individual entry.... Sheep, a four legged animal....Sheila, a two legged animal, not quite as smelly as a sheep...here we are, Swagman....'Somebody jolly who once camped by a billabong under the shade of a koolibar tree and sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled.'"
    Walt's face lit up. "What absolute ripper lyrics for a national anthem!"
    "What are?" said Hywel.
"The words that Zing just read out of the dictionary," said Walt. "'Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong' and the rest. Those lyrics are real beaut. They'd make a great anthem. Just listen to this."He started to sing, to the tune of 'God Save The King.' "Once a jo-lly swagman, Camped by a bill-abong, Un der the shadeofakoolibartree, And he sang as he watched And waited till hisbillyboiled..." He broke off. "Well, what d'you think?"
    "Well it ain't bad," said Hilda. "But there's something not quite right about it."
    "It's the tune, maybe," said Hywel. He thought for a moment. "Maybe if we used those words with Walt's tune?" he suggested. "Let's see what it sounds like." He began to sing, to the tune of Waltzing Matlida. "Once a jolly swagman. Camped by a Billabong, Under the shade of a koolibar tree And he sang as he watched And waited till his billy boiled...."
    The others went into raptures.
    "That is one real bonzer, ripper anthem, Hywel!" said Zing.
    "That is real beaut," agreed Hilda.
    "Now all we need is a last line and we've got ourselves an anthem we can be proud of," said Matt.
    "Right," said Hywel. "So have any of you got any ideas for the last line?" He looked at them in turn. "Walt? Zing? Matt? Hilda?"
    There was a long pause.
    "No," said Walt.
    "Nor me," said Zing.
    "Me neither," said Matt.
    "No," said Hilda.
    "Well I'll find one! I'll find one, as sure as my name's Hywel Comer," vowed Hywel.
    Hilda's face lit up. "That's it!" she cried.
    "What is?" said Zing.
    "We'll use our names as the last line!"
    "Our names?" said Walt
.     "Yes. Hywel Comer. Walt. Zing. Matt. Hilda.
    "Bonzer!" said Hywel. "Absolute bonzer, Hilda. Let's sing it now!"
    They all began to sing. "Once a jolly swagman, camped by a billabong Under the shade of a koolibar tree And he sang as he watched And waited till his billy boiled Walt Hilda Hywel Comer Zing Matt with me Hywel Comer Zing Matt, Hywel Comer Zing Matt, Walt Hilda Hywel Comer Zing Matt with me And he sang as he watched And waited till his billy boiled Walt Hilda Hywel Comer Zing Matt with me!"