ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

MOUNT KEMBLA
(The Mount Kembla mine explosion in August 1902 ranks
as one of the worst civil disasters in Australian history.)

The kitchen hearths are cold tonight:
Grief and tears the evening’s fare,
Full bitter bowls of misery
Desperate wives and orphans share.

The trampled paths that wind along
Mount Kembla’s tortured crest,
Now hear the groans of those who go,
Bearing comrades to their rest.

Cold empty graves in long thin lines
Lay grimly waiting to be filled
With the fathers; brothers; husbands;
Precious sons who have been killed.

The womenfolk will cry tonight;
Exhausted men will drink their rum,
The village will reflect upon
How unjustly death has come,

For sorrow knows no boundaries;
Abides no borderline or fence,
But penetrates the hardest heart
And defeats all brave pretence.

Though with the passing of the days
And in a week perhaps or two,
The miners will return to work,
As brave miners always do,

For death and harm, they full well know,
Are stern companions of their trade:
They are the debt all miners owe,
The fearful price too often paid!

Very touching, Vic.

Mal

Thank you Mal. I appreciate your kind comment. I have mentioned that the disaster occurred in August but the following extract from a web page detailing the disaster reveals it was in fact on the last day of July 1902:

"An explosion at 2pm on July 31, 1902, at Mt. Kembla colliery killed 96 men and boys. The sound of the explosion could be heard in Wollongong, some 7 miles away. At the end of the day 33 women were widows and 120 children were fatherless.

The hundreds of rescuers were headed by former Keira Mine manager and ex-mayor of Wollongong, Major Henry MacCabe who had played a vital part in rescue efforts at the Bulli Mine disaster in 1887 which killed 81 miners.

MacCabe and Nightshift Deputy, William McMurray were to lose their own lives during the rescue effort to the effect of "overpowering fumes", adding 2 more deaths to the 94 miners."

I am reminded of the song that was sung at the pit head after the Box Flat disaster....and I never again will go down underground......Working Man, I think.

Here it is...just unsure about the author but I will post a correction if needed as soon as I am sure (or someone else may for me).

[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/working-man- ... cneil.html ]

It’s a working man l am
And I’ve been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun
Or for any length of time
I can hold it in my mind
I never again will go down under ground

At the age of sixteen years
Oh he quarrels with his peers
Who vowed they’d never see another one
In the dark recess of the mines
Where you age before your time
And the coal dust lies heavy on your lungs

It’s a working man l am
And I’ve been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun
Or for any length of time
I can hold it in my mind
I never again will go down under ground

At the age of sixty four
Oh, he'll greet you at the door
And he'll gently lead you by the arm
Through the dark recess of the mines
Oh, he'll take you back in time
And he'll tell you of the hardships that were had

It’s a working man l am
And I’ve been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun
Or for any length of time
I can hold it in my mind
I never again will go down under ground

It’s a working man l am
And I’ve been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see the sun
Or for any length of time
I can hold it in my mind
I never again will go down under ground

It’s a working man l am
And I’ve been down under ground
And I swear to God if l ever see
the sunOr for any length of time
I can hold it in my mind
I never again will go down under ground

God, I never again will go down under ground



RITA MACNEIL - WORKING MAN LYRICS

Apparantly this is just one version of the song

Good On You Mal,

There are many great old mining songs. My favourite is Johny Cash's version of Dark As A Dungeon.

People here still talk of the Box Flat disaster Mal - I don't think it is ever far from people's minds. Recently saw some photos on line from that era can't think where - probably from the ICC historical site run by the local library.

Grand poem Vic - many would relate to it I think especially those from mining communities. Even with modern technology it must be an awful worry for the families. It would be to me anyway.

I love Dark as a Dungeon Vic. A great song.

Thank you Maureen. Mal I first heard Johny Cash sing that song when I was a teenager (a terrible long time ago now) and it wasn't until later years that I learned it was in fact an old traditional song.
Unfortunately Cash is best known by most people for his Ring of Fire and A Boy Named Sue type of songs but he was in fact a wonderful folk singer and his best work is not all that well known.
I am an avid Cash fan and have been since the 1950s.

Vic Jefferies wrote:Good On You Mal,

There are many great old mining songs. My favourite is Johny Cash's version of Dark As A Dungeon.

Merle Travis and his older brother, Taylor, (whose family all worked the mines around Meulenberg Kentucky) wrote "Dark as a Dungeon", "Nine Pound Hammer" and "Sixteen Tons" in one weekend.
They needed material for a recording session the following Tuesday ...