AUSTRALIA DAY 26th JAN 2005

Australia day comes around each ‘n’ every year,

   To celebrate across the land, with barbeques ‘n’ beer.

The currency is there, as some get naturalized,

    Politicians on the podium, to make you realize.

 A band somewhere is playin’. Advance Australia fair,

     The smiles upon the faces, of the people everywhere.

  Them children there are dancing, they are swingin’ to the beat,

      It’s in the air, everywhere, down along the street.

   For 40 thousand years or more, they danced upon this land,

       Clickin’ sticks ‘n’ didgeridoo, to chant and clap their hands.

   Then convicts came in sailing ships, to make a different sound,

       Confusion as those people, they build that Sydney town.

    The new ones kept on coming, drove the natives from the shore,

       The dreamtime what’s left of it, we wish we had some more.

     But you hear it in the morning, when the Kookaburra’s call,

        Through the day fore ever sounding, till night begins to fall.

     And they’re among the branches, with moonbeams shining through,

         A lonesome owl is hooting, for the love it knows is true.

      The possum it will gamble, as it moves about the night,

          The Southern Cross is sailing, forever there in flight.

      And when were on the sporting field, our colours show there might,

           Wattle waving green ‘n’ gold. Our flag a dancing kite.

      Australia day comes around. Each ‘n’ every year,

            To celebrate across the land, with barbeques ‘n’ beer.

                                        2005             

 Its midday as I trek up the overgrown Zigzag track ‘n’ strap

 Meself into the great white hope…that big six piston

Ford engine rumbles into gear ‘n’out of that little perch

On the side of the peninsular hill…up the winding road

To pick up Pete…Banjo player with the Bulla’s…long tall

Pete Lawson…some say the great great grandson of Henry…

We chuck the bags in the boot…then pokes in the Didgeridoo

Mounts up an rolls on down the hill…bypass the Tweed Heads

Then up the coast past Reedy Creek…to pick up Stue at the

Big Mack…now Stuie draws the bow across them fiddle strings like nobody has or ever will…so we three roar on up the Freeway…over the Gateway…two dollar toll…

Then it’s a 110-klm zoom up the Sunshine coast… Caloundra

Next stop here we come…turn left hear… down the road ‘n’

On the right ‘n’ there it is… all lite up the RSL…so we meanders in…I gets a drink ‘n’ we do a quick sound check…

Then hits the accom…oow wee plush digs they be…

Big beautiful bed… spar in the bathroom ‘n’ pay TV…

So we settle in…then connect with the troops…Terry the gas

He’s our resident Hobbit…who bangs the drum ‘n’crashers

The cymbals most times in time…Russell…well he just twangs

Up them cowdie electric licks on that Stratocaster…

Then there’s Graham…who when he ain’t paintin’ walls

Is playin’ the bass ‘n’ singin’ up a storm…

So we has a bite, then hits the gig for a three set Tuesday night

Warm up gig before the big Australia day show tomorrow afternoon…So its righty oh here we go…

As where rockin’rollin’jiggin’ reelin’ our way through the sets

An sellin’ CD’s in the breaks…we finally finish up with a

Rollickin’ singalong rendition of Home among the Gum Trees

I ends up with the Doe Doe award.. for forgettin’some words…

Stuie gets the man of the match…sawin’ away on the fiddle with a broken toe…white tail spider bite…Hem aroids an a headache…we sign some autographs get our photo took

Then tootle on back to the digs…for a wind down laugh…

Before we hit the horizontal for dreaming…ah so comfortable.

 Wed 26^th Jan…2005…when I wake up with a fart…

It’s a jolt from my dreaming…oh the songs I sang the night

Before forgotten words for evermore…I yawns ‘n’ has a stretch…then opens me lids…hey it’s an early morning once a

Year time… Australia day…2005…

Ok Stuie is up an so is Pete…so off we strolls to the yummy

Land of Bacon ‘n’ eggs…big breaky…corn flakes ‘n’ more

Fruit on the table there…beside them vats loaded with goodies

And that breakfast smell is in the air ‘n’ everywhere…

So we loads up our plates…rashers of bacon… eggs ‘n’ eggs

Scrambled, poached or fried…hash browns… baked beans…

Grilled tomatoes with cheese on top…sausages long ‘n’ short

Beef ‘n’ pork…an after Stuie went back for seconds I hooked

Into a plate of Rockmelloon…then as we sip our brewed coffee

In strolls with bleary eyes blinkin’… granmar ‘n’ the hobbit [Russell ‘n’ Terry ]  there eyes light up as they load there food

On that breakfast plate…an we laugh about last nights gig…

Like who played what ‘n’where ‘n’ how we got it back together

And weather it was right or wrong ‘n’ why it sounded good…

Ok after all the bullshit we makes our way to the RSL for the

11 am spot…and as we pull into the windblown car park, them

big buses loaded with people [potential CD buyers ]are emptying out and entering the club to take there seats an dig

the show…so its righty o hear we go…Stuie sawin’ on the fiddle…Pete pluckin’ on the banjo…Russell twangin’, Terry

bangin’,Graham thumpin’, me trumpin’ on the Mandolin…

as we bound through the set singin’ as we go…an everyone

is smilin’ clapin’ hands ‘n’ stompin’ as the fiddler saws away..

then its time to take a break ‘n’ sell some CD’s for ten dollars

cheep… they be lined up ten deep…to get themselves a bargin.

An make ourselves a buck…after that it’s a sweaty wipe down

Grab a glass of the cooling ale…meet ‘n’ greet some fans…

Watch the tennis on the TV... hang about ‘n’ wait for the 1 pm

Spot…then the curtain opens…the lights go on…wham bam...

Bang crash ‘n’ twang…harmonica whalin’,banjo pluckin’,

Fiddle sawin’,bass is thumpin’ guitar twangin’… an the songs we are a singin’ to the tunes we are a playin’…

It’s a fast flyin’ hard hittin’ set as we blaze away…on this

Australia day…an the mob is rockin’ on there seats…

And the last sprong is still ringin’ the curtain closes…we pack

Up an piss off…so there I be standin’there at the wind blown

Car park watin’ to put the banjo in the boot…an I’m a thinkin’…as the clouds sail by across the sky…

Raddo… Oddsocks ‘n’ Roddem was lookin’ over us then…

Ok now were in the great white hope an rollin’fast along the

Freeway headed south for home… laughin’ ‘n’ talkin’as we zoom along… and the country side slides by while the sun is

Setting in the red and orange wind blown western sky…

Now their ain’t no aircon in the great white hope so the windows are down ‘n’ the air is blowin’ through our hair…

As we roll along with out a care…laughin’ ‘n’ talkin’…

Hey there’s the big BP… so we pulls in for a fuel up…

An there sittin’ comfortable ‘n’ cosy is Gran ‘n’the Hobbit

Sipping on a nice cuppa tea with warm scones jam ‘n cream

Stuie orders up a frothy capichino a slab of chocklet cake with

Double cream ‘n’ ice-cream…Pete pulls the petrol to the tank

Pays up with the money… then sneaks off to puff the pipe…

I meanders off to find the dunny ‘n’ take a leak…

Ok where back on the freeway…Pete’s got the wheel, I got the

Can of OP rum ‘n’ Stuie’s sittin’ in the back ravin’on about

The benefits of windmills ‘n’ solar stuff…then hey a big black rain cloud up above…then suddenly whoosh that big wet cloud lets go with buckets  of rain tumblin’ down, windscreen wipers workin’ overtime an we cant’ see but six foot in front…with water pissin’ down everywhere as we slip ‘n’ slide along that wet ‘n’ windy freeway…then the rain eases, the sky clears as 

We breeze along till we take a wind off that big four lainer

To drop Stuie off at Peter Flanigans…he first booked the Bullas way back when we were a three piece at the Ocean Shores golf club…we bounce over the speed bumps till we find

His pad…and there he is with bottle of wine sayin’ welcome

So in we tramps…for cheese ‘n’ crackers a laugh an chatter

As the video camera is shootin’ while he gives us this spiel

About the original author of that famous song Pub with out

Beer …now this is still Australia Day and we still got the spirit

As me ‘n’Pete mount up for the last leg home…were still laughin’ as we pull into 152…cause there’s the back end of the cricket…then Leyton is gunna be chasin’ round the tennis court bangin’ balls in the Australian Open… I open a bottle of red…puts me feet up an settles in for the night…