Writing With Names -

An interesting past-time for those stuck without the internet back in the day, was coming up with innovative ways to use names of places and incorporating them into various pieces of writing.

Following is an example from Discovery WA by John Barnett.

“My DARLIGTON,

We are on holidays at last. We WENDOVER by car and POOTENUP at a small motel. My bed has only THREE SPRINGS, and when I move I hear the MAHOGANY CREEK, so I am up early at DAY DAWN. Your brother WILLIAMS well but his mate TOM PRICE hurt his back chop PINJARRA.*

BEVERLEY is POPINYINNING tonight for a chat. Yesterday we went for a WALKAWAY through an ORANGE GROVE, and on the way back heard the WYENING of shots from a WINCHESTER rifle. It was a local lady called MUMBALLUP who was MUCCAN about, WAGIN WARUP at WYNDHAM**, but JACOBS WELL and truly told her that he WANNA MAROONDAH for causing such a DONNYBROOK. She met her WATERLOO after that MERREDIN . . . . “

* Took me a while to work out that that was chopping jarrah.

** This one I don’t get at all.

Ok so that is a bit meh in my opinion and I actually think I might be able to do a bit better. Here is my attempt at writing with names:

Dearest DARLING,

It’s great to be away from work at last. I feel like the CHEYNES have been removed and I can enjoy myself.

We are staying in the bush and there’s lots of birds CHITTERING all the time. DALE has BENJABERRING on about how he wants to go hunting but we brought our BOWES but not the BROAD ARROWs so that’s not going to happen.

We are in a BIG GROVE of trees near a large BOULDER. It really is a BONNIE ROCK and I can see a BULLFINCH sitting on the top now.

Yesterday we saw a small wild pig and DALE tried to get hold of it but he has such BANDEE legs that it shot through and got away. He really was a CROSSMAN for a while after that.

Well it’s morning tea time so I am going to BOILUP some tea and after that I’ll be COOKERNUP some stew for lunch.

I CANNA find my fly spray so there are lots of CRAWLEY things in the tent right now. I guess I'll have to BOBALONG to the shops later to pick some up.

Oh and I forgot to tell you that I lost my wallet so I’m now rather BROKE. I’ll be back on Monday so can you send my BUTLER with the BENTLEY to pick me up?

Yours always,
DUKE OF ORLEANS.

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