Is this Australia you may ask yourself?
Compared to the rest of the world
We’re in pretty bloody good health
Our skies aren’t too polluted
And our beaches are all clean
Most roads aren’t too overcrowded
There are still some, spaces in-between.
Most Aussies you’ll find are really friendly
If their Aussies to the core
If they have Australia in their heart
with no allegiance to some distant foreign shore
What is it about Australia that makes it better than the rest?
Is it our reputation for succeeding when put to the fire or the test?
Is it our friendly hand shake when you’re doing the right thing?
Is it our support of the battler that’s just tryin to have a win
Is it our team spirit that’s always as solid as a log
Or is it our dedication to the one labeled the underdog
So what is it about Australia
that really makes Australia great
Could it be the very foundation of our culture
of always standing up for mate to mate
I really love my country and its features are first rate
26th of January is to all Australians
The most important date
Now once more the Aussie spirit
Is again called out to tramp through mud
To help friends we haven’t met yet
To recover from yet another flood
This one has taken many lives
Whole families in one wave
Whole towns evacuated
With just lives being saved
Possessions can be replaced.
Memories live on inside
Names will all be counted for those
poor bastards that have died
politicians kissin babies and wading in the mud
ending up in hospital
poor ol Mr rudd
the Ranga doin the rounds
with that smile fixed on her face
at least she let the army in
for that we all, give grace
anna could be in trouble
for taking time to open the gate
all that untimely water
just adding to their fate
lives are lost houses gone
whole suburbs under siege
it didn’t happen to me
and for that I am relieved
My sister’s flooded in
but is not flooded out
No one I know has died and for that I give a shout
I shed a tear for the neighbors
That watched their neighbors’ die
Trapped on the other side
Alive but will forever cry
Parents holding children
As their car swept down the stream
Their last moments full of panic
Last thoughts of what may have been
Children watching parents clutching onto limbs
Then tumbling down the creek
Knowing their future
Was looking terminally bleak
People will rise again
As they have done in the past
Human nature is our strength
It what’s makes us last
So throw in the Aussie spirit
And you have one formidable force
When that 19th hole is reached again
It will be mate to mate of course
17/01/2011 jeffthepoet@hotmail.com
Saturday, January 29, 2011
January report.
Hello everyone, sorry about the delay in our monthly report. Irene and I had a nice visit to Sydney, visiting friends and my daughter and grandson. Januaries meeting was well attended with 20 people enjoying the Australian diet of little dog’s eye’s with sauce, mystery bags and a bowl of little boy’s, topped off with date walnut and almond loafs. Most of the regulars were there with apologies from Joan, Gloria and Lydia. My poems were well received by all and I thanked everyone for the praise and the support for the beginning of out 7th year. Bob let a few emotions out of the bag with his poem about his thoughts on what was and what is now, Australia, well written and calling a spade a spade, his second poem was about his comical struggle with the leotards at his first aerobic class. Roger arrived early and his tale of the adventures of 90 year old Bruce the Boot, was a truthful tale of man that walked from Byron Bay to the west coast when he was a young man, then Roger secretly revealed he had been on the sauce one too many times and encountered our native animals acting in peculiar ways like wombats flying and kangaroo’s driving cars and sugar gliders working as doctors, very funny indeed. His third poem about his robot has us all laughing in the aisles.
Judi’s first poem was on the recent tragedy of the floods, her poem was well presented and we all agreed on the Aussie culture of helpin out a mate in time of strife. Judi’s second poem highlighted the great life we have here on the Gold Coast and the real friendships within out poetry group, and she closed with the line Happy New Year to all. Eoin had to leave early but not before entertaining us with his fantastic sense of humour and his intelligent writing on the subject of our flag and the growing movement to have it changed to one more relevant, an argument recently snubbed by the PM when she said on Australia Day, “We love our flag, there is no need for change, just look at all the people waving it today, no it will stay the same!!”, gee I wonder why there were so many waving it on the 26th January. Joyce sneaked into our group recently and her humour is up there with the best Australia has to offer and her poems on the day were as good as her usual high standard, her poem about her ‘poor’ country and all the shonky pollies and whingers was well shared and agreed on by all, her second poem about the misadventures of a not so young yet still attractive naked Australian woman at the skin cancer clinic with non English background doctor was an uproarious event that had to be witnessed in person to be appreciated.
One of our other talented new regulars Damien shared two good poems with us, one about life as a young man and sharing the Aussie things that brothers get up to, the second poem continued on a similar theme with his frog catching experiences under the verandah at his home. The new poets just keep coming and the talent is wonderful to be sharing so many good poems, Kathy went back to her school teacher days and commented on the ockerisms of aussiedum, with examples of our strine, with the tradition of adding ies, o’s and a’s to daily colloquialisms like Shazza likes Tradies and don’t like drongo’s an she aint done nuthin. Her second poem was about one word and it was as well written as her first, it would have been a real bastard to write but she is a clever bastard and we all liked it immensely because we are a sociable bunch of bastards, but remember, we won’t take crap from any bastard, one word in her poem was a real bastard for a simple man like me and I don’t know if I have used a particable or was it participle??.
Paul keeps delivering top shelf poems and his self imposed standard is pretty high, his first poem was inspired by Australian history and covered everything from convicts to Anzac’s to bushfires floods and doin it hard, his second poem reminded what a gift life is and he also wished us all a Happy New Year, he closed with a third delivery, a landscape poem had us all smiling and everyone applauded his efforts. Marta also one of new regulars, shared her views on Australia, the 2009 fires, the 2010 floods and the nature of people helping people in trouble, the human spirit always triumphs and Marta reminded us of the importance of home and the love of life. Alex has cemented his place in our group and his poems just keep flowing from his pen, his first poem was about Australia and how home is what you make it, his second poem was a tribute to his friend and mentor Rupert Keys, he then wrote about his alarm clock and closed with his poem about a poem and how to stay positive.
Jean only got time for writing one poem as she lives one of the busiest schedules of anyone I have ever met, her poem was a moving tribute to the recent floods in Qld, and we wish Jean well on her upcoming trip and hope she gets time to scribe a few poems, with a meter and a rhyme. Banjo made it along again and we all look forward to his recitals of the original Banjo and on the day he delivered a masterpiece from Isobel Marion Dorothea Mackeller, “My country”; his second poem was found in his Grandmothers drawer and was written at least 120 years ago, he doesn’t know if Nana Farrow wrote or not, it was a very funny letter to God from a little girl enquiring about the poor eating abilities of recently born little brother, Banjo can recite many authors poems from memory but for the first time he read a poem that he wrote himself, “The wasted years” about his journey through life and his path back to Jesus and true happiness.
Trish was late to arrive but she wasn’t last so we will forgive her again!!, her first poem was about how she has lived three lives, first as a Kiwi, then marrying an Englishman and living in a hacienda in Spain, thirdly and wisely becoming an Aussie!!! Her second poem was about the 2009 Vic bush fires and floods and how it coincided with the Aussies losing the cricket at the MCG, very funny at times Trish!! She then closed with another poem from the past that was a tribute to the Hunter Valley people. Sandra recited one of her magical poems and it takes the listener into a world of fairies king’s princes and princesses, Sandra paints such a complete picture and everyone can almost see the garden and the world inside it. Vincent entertained us with a poem about limericks and he reminded us how it takes an intelligent person to put together a good and not just anyone can do it, there is a poet called Vincent and his limericks are really quiet decent, he does what he can and his wife’s from Japan and his themes are always pretty recent. Rita snuck in at the end and shared two great poems she recently wrote, one about the tragedy of the floods and the other about her adventures dog sitting a large ridge back on New Year’s Eve, with all those fireworks and a flimsy screen door. David came along for the first time and he recited a nice poem he wrote when he was a teacher, giving young boys a lesson on poetry. Thanks everyone for a great day and sorry those that couldn’t make it and missed another great afternoon of poetry. See you next month on the 20th at 1pm, optional monthly theme is “The Anniversary” and the optional first line is “It wasn’t really my fault, I just………………..” jeffthepoet@hotmail.com
Judi’s first poem was on the recent tragedy of the floods, her poem was well presented and we all agreed on the Aussie culture of helpin out a mate in time of strife. Judi’s second poem highlighted the great life we have here on the Gold Coast and the real friendships within out poetry group, and she closed with the line Happy New Year to all. Eoin had to leave early but not before entertaining us with his fantastic sense of humour and his intelligent writing on the subject of our flag and the growing movement to have it changed to one more relevant, an argument recently snubbed by the PM when she said on Australia Day, “We love our flag, there is no need for change, just look at all the people waving it today, no it will stay the same!!”, gee I wonder why there were so many waving it on the 26th January. Joyce sneaked into our group recently and her humour is up there with the best Australia has to offer and her poems on the day were as good as her usual high standard, her poem about her ‘poor’ country and all the shonky pollies and whingers was well shared and agreed on by all, her second poem about the misadventures of a not so young yet still attractive naked Australian woman at the skin cancer clinic with non English background doctor was an uproarious event that had to be witnessed in person to be appreciated.
One of our other talented new regulars Damien shared two good poems with us, one about life as a young man and sharing the Aussie things that brothers get up to, the second poem continued on a similar theme with his frog catching experiences under the verandah at his home. The new poets just keep coming and the talent is wonderful to be sharing so many good poems, Kathy went back to her school teacher days and commented on the ockerisms of aussiedum, with examples of our strine, with the tradition of adding ies, o’s and a’s to daily colloquialisms like Shazza likes Tradies and don’t like drongo’s an she aint done nuthin. Her second poem was about one word and it was as well written as her first, it would have been a real bastard to write but she is a clever bastard and we all liked it immensely because we are a sociable bunch of bastards, but remember, we won’t take crap from any bastard, one word in her poem was a real bastard for a simple man like me and I don’t know if I have used a particable or was it participle??.
Paul keeps delivering top shelf poems and his self imposed standard is pretty high, his first poem was inspired by Australian history and covered everything from convicts to Anzac’s to bushfires floods and doin it hard, his second poem reminded what a gift life is and he also wished us all a Happy New Year, he closed with a third delivery, a landscape poem had us all smiling and everyone applauded his efforts. Marta also one of new regulars, shared her views on Australia, the 2009 fires, the 2010 floods and the nature of people helping people in trouble, the human spirit always triumphs and Marta reminded us of the importance of home and the love of life. Alex has cemented his place in our group and his poems just keep flowing from his pen, his first poem was about Australia and how home is what you make it, his second poem was a tribute to his friend and mentor Rupert Keys, he then wrote about his alarm clock and closed with his poem about a poem and how to stay positive.
Jean only got time for writing one poem as she lives one of the busiest schedules of anyone I have ever met, her poem was a moving tribute to the recent floods in Qld, and we wish Jean well on her upcoming trip and hope she gets time to scribe a few poems, with a meter and a rhyme. Banjo made it along again and we all look forward to his recitals of the original Banjo and on the day he delivered a masterpiece from Isobel Marion Dorothea Mackeller, “My country”; his second poem was found in his Grandmothers drawer and was written at least 120 years ago, he doesn’t know if Nana Farrow wrote or not, it was a very funny letter to God from a little girl enquiring about the poor eating abilities of recently born little brother, Banjo can recite many authors poems from memory but for the first time he read a poem that he wrote himself, “The wasted years” about his journey through life and his path back to Jesus and true happiness.
Trish was late to arrive but she wasn’t last so we will forgive her again!!, her first poem was about how she has lived three lives, first as a Kiwi, then marrying an Englishman and living in a hacienda in Spain, thirdly and wisely becoming an Aussie!!! Her second poem was about the 2009 Vic bush fires and floods and how it coincided with the Aussies losing the cricket at the MCG, very funny at times Trish!! She then closed with another poem from the past that was a tribute to the Hunter Valley people. Sandra recited one of her magical poems and it takes the listener into a world of fairies king’s princes and princesses, Sandra paints such a complete picture and everyone can almost see the garden and the world inside it. Vincent entertained us with a poem about limericks and he reminded us how it takes an intelligent person to put together a good and not just anyone can do it, there is a poet called Vincent and his limericks are really quiet decent, he does what he can and his wife’s from Japan and his themes are always pretty recent. Rita snuck in at the end and shared two great poems she recently wrote, one about the tragedy of the floods and the other about her adventures dog sitting a large ridge back on New Year’s Eve, with all those fireworks and a flimsy screen door. David came along for the first time and he recited a nice poem he wrote when he was a teacher, giving young boys a lesson on poetry. Thanks everyone for a great day and sorry those that couldn’t make it and missed another great afternoon of poetry. See you next month on the 20th at 1pm, optional monthly theme is “The Anniversary” and the optional first line is “It wasn’t really my fault, I just………………..” jeffthepoet@hotmail.com
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