They Say

[thestoryteller]

With two pounds in my pocket, given to me by father, passage, even though steerage the cheapest fare, and new friends to travel with, I was seaward bound on the ship 'Diogenes,' and to the port of Sydney, Australia.

THEY SAY

It's England that I leave behind;
the island of my birth.
A nation of the brave and free
and salt of all the earth.

"Unpatriotic!" You may cry
for leaving her behind,
but at just sixteen years of age
a lad's things on his mind.

They say in the new Colony
a man can make his mark.
High mountains, plains and deserts there,
tall gums and ironbarks.

They say that sheep and cattle roam
in outback station runs
and miners fight to keep their rights
with barricades and guns.

They say green cane fields fill the North
while vineyards grace the south.
At least that's what the rumours say
passed 'round by word of mouth.

The truth I guess is locked in time,
though waiting's kind of tough.
My ship soon berths at Sydney Cove
I'll find out soon enough.

©Merv Webster

From the book In Days Gone By
http://users.tpg.com.au/thegrey/InDaysGoneBy.htm