Poet delivers hope on back of dunny doors
THE North Burnett’s selfconfessed “s---house poet” has opened his own studio in the main street of Eidsvold.
Aspiring bush poet Russell Plunkett has become a well-known identity in the area since his arrival three years ago.
Often found at the RM Williams Bush Learning Centre, Mr Plunkett has opted to open his own studio called On the Edge of the Billabong on Moreton St.
He has identified a hole in the market in the form of motivational poems blown out as posters, to be placed behind the back of toilet doors.
Mr Plunkett is planning on rolling out what he calls “dunny posters” to pubs across the North Burnett, as a campaign to help with mental health.
“We’ll come to you as a publican at the pub, and we’ll ask you to put this at the back of your dunny, or somewhere accessible,” he said.
“It’s for the guys that are hurting out there that need a bit of a lift.
“When you try to preach to them, they sometimes don’t listen, however when you have time to quietly read something like this, there could be one line that gets to them.”
The niche idea was borne when Mr Plunkett visited the Central Queensland town of Alpha several years ago, and was approached by a woman while he was visiting.
“A lady came up to me one morning after one of my shows and said ‘nice to meet you, I’ve had one of your posters behind my dunny door for 30 years’,” Mr Plunkett said.
“Which instantly made me a s---house poet.
“But four generations of her family know my poem more backwards.”
The poet is now looking for grants to fund his dunny poster project, while simultaneously working with the Indigenous community on translating one of his poems.