songwriter and performer, came to Victoria from England in November 1852 in search of gold, found some but decided to combine gold-digging with performing. He wrote and sang humorous ballads about local events and personalities in Victorian goldfields towns, especially Bendigo, in the 1850s. None appears to have had any pictorial component. However, after some years in NZ, he briefly revived his repertoire in October 1866, opening at the Lyceum, Bendigo, with an entertainment in pictures and songs of those far-off days. His 'Life on the Goldfields’ series of some 14 scenes was, he said, inspired by a panorama of the Indian War he had seen in Melbourne many years earlier (by Bachelor?). The paintings, which showed the digger 'in every phase of colonial life, in good luck and in bad, in wine and in water, in demonstrative joy, and – for just a little while – in desolation and despair’ (newspaper report), were by 'a celebrated artist not unknown to fame as his Turner-like pictures of cows and milk sold here may be seen in the various parts of the health-giving districts of Sandridge and Emerald Hill’ (from Thatcher’s opening speech). They were guaranteed authentic because 'the artist has a brother who joined in the rush to Forest Creek and was up there a week and told him all about it’ (ditto). Mt Macedon was a faithful representation as 'portrayed by my amiable artist when under the influence of drink. Thus the height of the mountain is slightly exaggerated and is more terrible and majestic in its proportions than mountains usually are’ – even though it was placed on the wrong side because the artist was left-handed. A favourite scene showed the well-known magistrate 'Bendigo Mac’ presiding in the temple of justice.
Considered a funny and witty parody with nothing salacious about it, the performance also introduced topical songs, e.g. on the procession planned for the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit in December (see Anderson 140-44). After a short season at Bendigo, Thatcher gave a single performance at the Shamrock Hotel, Epsom, and one at the Camp Hotel, Huntly. On 11 November he completed his tour of the old circuit – Gunn’s Hotel, Raywood, then Maryborough, Ararat, Avoca, Ballarat, concluding at Geelong before Christmas Day. This ended his public life in Victoria after almost 16 years. He and his wife gave a solo concert in NZ in 1869 at the Prince of Wales, Auckland, again using the 'Life on the Goldfields’ diorama and a variety of new local songs. He did other concerts less successfully in NZ until joining his wife and daughters on a visit to Europe and started a curio business in London. He died of cholera in Shanghai in September 1878.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1999
- Last updated:
- 2011
