Why did banjo Paterson write The Man From Snowy River?

Banjo Paterson was a prolific poet, and a keen horseman. He was inspired by the story of "Jack Riley", the original Man from Snowy River. Riley had migrated to Australia in 1852, when he was 13, and he had earned his way and his reputation as an able stockman in the High Country near Corryong. Paterson was introduced to Jack Riley, and heard yarns of the stockman's adventures: it was these stories which inspired Paterson to write what is arguably his best-known poem.