Don’t Speak like a Bogan – Young Australian Writers Awards

Launceston Grammar is very proud to announce that Grade 7 student Paige Duncan-Rainbird has been selected as one of the winners in the 2022 Young Australian Writers Awards. The awards are organised by OzKids in Print, a project run by The Children’s Charity Network, to instil a love of writing and the arts in Australian children.

OzKids is a magazine which is distributed on a national basis and published online through this website. Its purpose is to promote and support children’s literary and artistic talents and provide a vehicle for children to appreciate and develop their skills and encourage them to continue in the arts, especially when they see their work published. Paige joins fellow Grade 7 student Chanel Charles who has also been published recently in OzKids magazine.

Paige and her family are being flown over to Melbourne later in the month for the ceremony and to celebrate with her peers.

When you go to school,
You are taught to speak correct English,
So you come across proper and refined
and very, very distinguished.

However, creeping in in Australia
Are some terrifying terms,
From the bogans of our country
That makes well spoken Australians squirm.

It’s ‘em bludgers that wagged school
who’s to blame for all this fussin
A worse-er-a state of speakin’
We could not be discussin’

Now yous may be wondering
How did it get so bad?
How did we fall so far from posh
To a language no one understands?

Was it the esky or the thongs?
That got their knickers is a twist?
Is it here amongst these words
Bogan slang started to exist?

Was it the arvo or the avo?
Or the barbie or the ciggy?
‘ave you’s got lost in all me words
Is it getting’ too tricky?

Was it the flannie or the footy?
Was it the daks or the dunny?
Was it a phrase ya heard at Maccas?
it really isn’t funny!

Let’s face it – English is cactus!
It’s in a pretty crook state!
We gotta do something to fix it,
I’m being fair dinkum mate!

Round your vowels, annunciate,
Use correct diction please!
Don’t speak like a Bogan
That’s my expertise.

– Paige Duncan-Rainbird, Grade 7