Introducing Maria Mongelluzzo

[Dave Smith]

G'Day Maria, oh yeah and welcome, most of the things you have read on this site have been written by folks from the eastern states, but I guess some of it could be right, now I am in Western Australia so what ever I tell you will the real gospel, any how for some true culture you could read The Intergrated Adjective by Nino Culotta aka John O'Grady.

http://www.thepoetsgarret.com/2002/020506.html

Tumba Bloody Rumba.

TTFN Dave.

[Irene]

Hi Maria - welcome, and good luck with your thesis.

Yep, listen to Dave - check out Western Australia!! It's the real gospel!!

I live on the coast of western australia - a wonderful place called Jurien Bay, with beautiful white beaches!! You would love it here, seeing you love the beach.
I have a couple of poems on the site that reflect what I was hearing and seeing in the silence of the night - Eventide, and After the Rain
I also grew up inland at a place called Three Springs - which is in the middle of a wheat growing area.
I have a poem called Where the Golden Wheatheads Grow - which I wrote one day after returning to the area to visit my parents.
If you go to the section called - Index of members poems - and to the index of my poems, you will find links to them.

If you search out some poems from Terry Piggot, you will find some beautiful poetry about the outback areas of Western Australia.

Looking for info about culture/lifestyle - in West Australia at the moment, we are in the middle of a mining boom. A lot of the mines do what is called 'Fly in, Fly out' -simply, they fly the workers into the mine sites, where they have accomodation camps, and they fly them home for their days off. The rosters range from 8 days on and 6 off, to 4 or 5 weeks on and same off. It is seen to be a very attractive lifestyle due to the big money that is paid, so people are applying in droves to get into those jobs - which subsequently leaves a huge hole in workers available in the city, etc.
What a lot of these people do not see is the stress and problems that afflict the workers and their families by living such a transient lifestyle - mothers raising their kids without support while hubby is away, the sense of disconnection being away from families for so long, increased incidence of relationship breakdowns, extravagant lifestyles that come with big money, and the subsequent problems adjusting to lower incomes when the work is finished, etc etc!! There is an increased rate of suicide and relationship breakdowns amongst that section of the population also.
My son used to work in the field, and my daughter still does, as well as many other friends, and I wrote a poem called 'Fly in, Fly out' in the hopes of encouraging people to look at more than just the chance to earn big money. A link to that poem is also in the index of my poems. The incidences written about in the poem - with the exception of the suicide - come from experiences from family/friends. The suicide came from a couple of incidences that occurred while my son was working up north.

There is heaps of suitable poetry on the site - have fun looking through it all!! Ask questions in the 'General Poetry discussion' section or the 'General Chit Chat' and you will be sure to get the answers you are looking for.

Catchya
IRene conner

[Zondrae]

Welcome Maria,

We are so pleased that you have chosen this organisation as a source for your thesis. You will undoubtedly find the term 'bush poetry' is somewhat a misnomer, as we don't always write about the 'bush'.
I would have responded sooner but I have been away from home for about ten days to attend a Folk Music festival where 'Poets Breakfasts' are a usual event. There were several members of the ABPA present to recite their poetry before a large audience. I was able to present three poems. The festival went from Friday afternoon til Sunday night with a wide variety of concerts including music, dance and poetry. Time allocated each day for poetry is only two hours and there were 20 poets who put their name on the list for the Saturday and Sunday mornings, therefore each person has a time limit. After the festival my husband and I went fishing.

I write on a variety of contemporary topics and all my poems are listed in the 'Index of Members Poetry' you will see near the top of the forum sections. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about my experiences (whether it be regarding writing, or living in Australia in general,) either on this forum or by pm (private message). To pm you simply click on the little pm box at the bottom (left side) of a post.

I am also a member of a local poets writing group who meet every Wednesday at 7am called 'Illawarra Breakfast Poets'. The 'Illawarra' refers to an area just south of Sydney, where there is a lake of that name. The major city is Wollongong.

I am sure that all the members of this forum look forward to hearing from you.

[Rimeriter]

"G'day" Maria,

The email system will not accept your address as it appears above.
I have tried a few variations without success.

Please verify/correct it.

"onya"
Jim.