Born in Victoria in 1930, Ron Edwards passed away on 5 January 2008, after living in Kuranda (far north Queensland) for many years. An extremely talented bloke with an amazing array of talents he put to good use – an accomplished artist, knowledgeable and witty writer, avid collector of folk songs and bushcraft skills (from stockwhip making and leatherwork to bush building), which he also put into practice. And he published many, many books on these subjects – which I highly recommend. Over the years I purchased quite a few from his leatherwork/saddlery shop and art gallery in Cairns. One of Australia’s unique characters and his contribution to recording these aspects of Australia’s culture cannot be underestimated. If Ron had been in a higher-profile field, his passing would have made national news and he’d have been the recipient of a number of awards by now. A detailed obituary was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 7 February 2008.
More info on Ron Edwards: http://users.tpg.com.au/folk_rag_frameset.htm