[1978:] The severe droughts of the eighties forced many of the small land holders to abandon their properties, and The Broken Down Squatter tells of one of these.
The first version is fairly close to that in Paterson, though it lacks the last verse, and the chorus has been moved to make a final verse. Although the tune differs considerably from that given in the second version, it is also a variant of The Hunting Day, the tune given in Paterson. It was one of a number of songs collected from Jack Parveez in Charters Towers, 12 October 1966, which he had learned in the early part of the century while working round the bush.
[Second version:] Irvinebank is an isolated township tucked away in the ranges west of Herberton, in North Queensland. Tin was discovered there in 1882, and a thriving township grew up, centred round the stamping battery that crushed the miner's ore. The battery still exists, with much of the original machinery still in position, but the town has shrunk to only a few houses and an old pub. On a field trip there with a companion, Allan Jenkins, we collected this version on 20 August 1966, from Mrs Ivy Cross, who had learned it in about 1904 at Montalbion, where she was born in 1894. She had a note of the first three verses (although she thought this was complete). Her version varies in only a couple of words from the Paterson version, the only major change being that Paterson had 'Glen Eva's sweet dells'. Her tune was a variant of The Hunting Day.
A third version of this song, from before 1893, may be found in 'National Folk' no. 45. (Notes Martyn Wyndham-Read, 'Ballad Singer')