The Anzac Legacy of C J Dennis – The Laureate of the Larrikin – with Darryl Stuart

150 years on, the voice that captured a generation returns to tell the Anzac story in full.

‘I picked it up as an attractive and unusual opportunity, but read it cover to cover, smiling and laughing at CJ Dennis’ humour and insight, and from time to time, slowing down to absorb the pathos and sadness that is part of the Anzac legacy.’ — General Sir Peter Cosgrove AK CVO MC

In 2026, the 150th anniversary of C J Dennis marks a major moment of rediscovery. Australia’s most popular poet, Dennis sold over 700,000 books and published more than 4,000 poems, creating enduring characters such as The Sentimental Bloke, Doreen and Ginger Mick, giving voice to Australians shaped by war and its aftermath.

Less widely recognised is his role in shaping Australia’s culture of remembrance.

He wrote of the war in The Moods of Ginger Mick, of its aftermath in Digger Smith, and from 1922 to 1938 marked Anzac Day and Armistice Day each year in the Melbourne Herald, recording how the Anzac story was remembered as the men of the AIF aged and a new generation inherited their story.

This is the first collection to bring together his Anzac poetry from 1908 to 1938, including classic verse alongside 44 Anzac Day and Armistice Day poems never before collected in one volume, these works have not been republished since their original appearance in the Melbourne Herald.

Presented chronologically, the collection offers a rare record of how the Anzac legacy evolved from the immediacy of war to a broader sense of Australian identity. It captures the spirit and sacrifice of those who served, and the passing of their story into national memory.

Featuring a foreword by General Sir Peter Cosgrove, The Anzac Legacy of C J Dennis affirms Dennis as a defining voice in Australia’s Anzac story.

‘A powerful and deeply human record of the Anzac story, captured as it was lived and remembered.’ 

‘Across three decades, Dennis recorded not just a war, but how a nation came to remember it.’

In keeping true to the Anzac Legacy of C J Dennis, all proceeds from this book will be donated to Legacy Australia.

About the Author
Darryl Stuart grew up in Far North Queensland before entering the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1977. He served for 20 years in the Australian Army, during which time he became an ardent collector and advocate of C J Dennis’s work. His private collection includes more than 200 editions and rare items, including a ‘Frank Roberts’ pre-first edition copy of The Sentimental Bloke. Following a 25-year entrepreneurial business career, he retired in Brisbane.

To mark the 150th anniversary of C J Dennis in 2026, Darryl launched cjdennis.com to promote the poet’s life and work, and edited this collection to highlight Dennis’s significant contribution to Australia’s Anzac legacy.