BYE BYE BONZA

[Jeff Thorpe]

BYE BYE BONZA

© Jeffrey Thorpe 02 May 2024

Bonza’s reign in our sky appears to be over
short lived place in history that never was on clover,
victim of the malady known as “going broke”
common in aviation and certainly no joke.

A pity cos the airline’s name showed some flair
“bonza” meaning pleasing, in this case in cheap fare,
but, like other slang words or idioms of that age
“bonza” and its ilk no longer strut the stage.

As one of a generation now considered out-of-date
our diction enshrines slang, and that’s “fair dinkum” “mate”,
“crikey”, we have no time for “drop kicks” or stuff not “dinki-di”
“owyagoinmatealright”, a greeting eye to eye.

The “missus” threw a “tanty”, thought she’d lost her keys
a real “rip snorter” though in the end all’s “bees knees”,
like ending up in “woop woop” on a motoring trip last year
following directions clearly a “bum steer”.

“Hard yakka” never hurt anyone yet, to some it’s “clear as mud”
“flogging a dead horse” on a bomb that’s a “dud”,
“crook as a chook” like “a prawn in the sun”
the story’s “ridgy-didge”, “you reckon”? “Like fun”.

A host of yesterday’s sayings which could go on and on
nostalgia in every stanza of eras now bygone,
t’was “bonza” reminiscing, perhaps you think so too
yet all good things must end so, I’ll simply say “hooroo”.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Good one Jeff and I love the Australianisms you have woven into the story - they really are bonzer, ridgey didge, and fair dinkum If we bush poets don't keep our language going who the hell will. I have started putting Australian on official forms where it asks what languages we speak, as well as English. Can't do better than that.