Ever heard the expression ‘telling a Furphy’?  In this episode, you’ll learn where that saying comes from. 

John Furphy was the inventor of the ubiquitous Furphy water cart, seen all over rural Australia. It was during the first world war that the famous water cart let to the slang expression ‘telling a Furphy’.  

 His younger brother John was known for his literary talents – he's been dubbed the ‘father of the Australian novel’. As a bullock driver on the Hay plains, he would read Shakespeare and the bible, while his colleagues drank away their earnings. In 1903, he published, ‘Such is Life’, a book celebrated for being ‘offensively Australian’. 

Although their name is synonymous with ‘spinning a tall story’, these brothers were dedicated to the truth. 

The Furphy foundry still operates to this day in his home of Shepparton, Victoria. 

Further information: 

Such is Life, by Joseph Furphy 

https://www.furphystory.com.au 

https://furphyfoundry.com.au/the-origins-of-telling-a-furphy/  

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/furphy-joseph-6261 

You can find Dr Paul Roe online at theoutbackhistorian.com.au and Katrina Roe at katrinaroe.com 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.