Bungendore Poets sessions Day 1

[Darren]

It sounds like Heather had a good time on Saturday when she rang last night. Said the comedy act was hilarious.

I hope she behaved herself. She doesn't often get away on her own. I have seen the photos from the last trip with the bush fire group with masks and strange hats so that is a bit of a worry.

I think, like you Marty, she may be getting addicted to these festivals.

[william williams]

Darren don't worry about these young'ns like Heather, Peely and Marty us oldies we're just worrying about keeping up the pace struth ELVIS just got of the station at Queanbeyan wearing a pink cowboy hat and a pink feather boa and blue suede shoes and singing out where has that inpersonator Peely got to(what have you been telling him Peely)

bill the old battler

[Frank Daniel]

Hello all, I'm only just home from Bungendore. 7.30pm Monday night.
I spent today visiting 'lations and going over some historic photographs of the Daniel clan.
Part of today was taken up in securing accommodation in Canberra for my youngest daughter Lucy who will be taking up a graphic arts course at the CIT in Reid, as of next Monday. Now we're in a hell of a rush to get things mobile for this.
I would like to thank those who took part in the Bungendore Poets Turnout on the weekend, I think it was a pretty good show, but somewhat lacking in numbers audience and poet wise.
I was absolutely impressed with the poems presented by newcomers Heather Knight and Marty Boyd. I'm sure they'll both go a long way in the poetry game.
It was great to see John Peel turn up for the two days, along with John Davis, Laurie McDonald who paid tribute to the late David Meyers, Lorraine McCrimmon, Mark 'Bushie' Thompson, Campbell Irving, William Williams, Barry Martin, Greg North, and Graeme 'Skew Whiff' Watt from Tormina near Coffs Harbour. It was his first visit to Bungendore and he's promised to return next year.
Highlights of the Saturday morning were the Greg's Stick It poem and his camp rendition of 'Cluncy'.
Sundays big impression was John Peels 'Elvis is still alive' which kept the crowd engaged.
The hip swivelling, gyrating, whole hunka poet was certainly a convincing sight for sore eyes.
Greg and John definitely take the cake as entertainers.

Joe

[Heather]

Just home - exhausted from the drive back from Bungendore. I had a fantastic time and it was great to meet those I know from the forum - Frank, John Peel, Marty Boyce and Bill. It was a wonderful opportunity for new comers like myself and Marty to watch and hear the accomplished poets do their stuff. Very, very entertaining.

Marty did very well reciting his two poems. I had people come up to me and congratulate me on my soldier poem and had one lady request a copy for her son in the army as well as one lady who was still in tears the next day over it. Nice to know my poem can touch people like that.

Thanks to Frank for the guided tour of his old stomping ground on Saturday afternoon - had a grand old tour and saw places I would not have otherwise seen. Thanks Frank.

Heather

[Heather]

Frank, John and Greg smaller.jpg

Cool, I've worked out how to add pictures. No one is safe now!!

[Frank Daniel]

Heather's photograph above was taken at the Lowden Water Wheel on Saturday 5th February 2011

Logging & Milling
Until recently logging and milling in the Hoskinstown and Captains Flat district was
very much a family affair. Descendants of the earliest Hopkins, Daniels, Gumms and
Donoghoes continued in the business over decades and members of some of those
families still pursue their traditional occupation.
The Hopkins family have been involved in logging and milling in the area for five
generations, starting around 1900 with their steam driven sawmill at Sandy Creek,
Rossi. Another mill was soon built at Yandyguinulla and later the Sandy Creek steam
engine was moved to Hilltop. There were numerous other small mills scattered
throughout the forested areas such as James Hopkins’s mill at Harold’s Cross, Dudley
and Bill Hopkins operated one at Parker’s Gap and the Daniels family have a long
association with milling at Forbes Creek near Hoskinstown
In Lowden Forest Park logging contractors established a camp in 1937 and the camp
was used until the 1960s when improved roads allowed daily travel to the site. A
water wheel was built by William Hopkins and Spencer Hush and transported
to the campsite where it generated electricity for the camp and charged the batteries
for logging trucks. The wheel and associated weir and water storage areas have been
restored to working order.
Jane Daniels (nee Hopkins) 1854 – 1938 diary held Daniels family

You'll notice that Jane has an 's' on her surname, being one of the Daniels mob that copped the added 's' as the years progressed.

Joe

[william williams]

Such is life

The valleys deep, the mountains high
as the old man stood beneath the sky.
Thoughts he had, of those years gone by.

Of logging camps, and rough bush mills
those lofty mountains and many hills.
They cut the tracks, with out much skill

Life was hard, their days were long,
axes swung and backs were strong.
Hard you worked, till the dinner gong

To camp you went, tired you were,
you worked hard and weren’t a cur.
Beneath a canvas you slept without a stir

Wind and rain, came just the same,
But on you worked, no one was to blame.
Logs were cut, and dragged to the train

With such a life, what’s your intent
Now you’re old, your youth now spent,
And time has made your back now bent

Written by Bill Williams October 2010 ©

[Heather]

The water wheel is in a beautiful secluded spot deep in the forest.

Water wheel 2.jpg

[Frank Daniel]

Hey there Heather,
thank you for inserting the photographs, I hope our readers like what you have done.
I just love conducting 'cooks tours' around the places that I have been in my life and telling the stories that have been handed down over the past hundred years or more. They're all true of course, why wouldn't they be,