Walking With Ghosts

[r.magnay]

G'day mate, I reckon if Dave intended to put that up on display at the graveyard, the least you could do is honour his wishes and do it.
I was working on some stations up around Broken Hill many years ago, I happened upon a great big stone shearing shed on Bimbowrie Station, it is called Antro, I know very little about the history of the shed but it was big and you could see that it was originally a blade shed. it had been converted to overhead gear, I can't recall how many stands it had with the overhead gear but I reckon from memory I counted up 50 odd let out chutes, which of course would have meant it would cater for 50 blade shearers! I swear I could hear the whole show happening while I was in there, that would be a lot of ghosts for a fifty shearer shed!

I have seen your poem before mate but it still has the same impact now as it did the first time.

[Maureen K Clifford]

I totally agree with Ross - that would be a lovely thing to do. Who administers the old cemetery Terry, do you have any idea? Perhaps if you sent the poem to them they might be prepared to encase it in a glass fronted display frame showing the history of the place . I found this on line - might be of interest to readers, I imagine you have seen it first hand http://www.outbackfamilyhistory.com.au/ ... ord_id=609

[Terry]

G/day Ross
I keep promising to do something about honouring Dave’s idea – must remember next time I’m up that way.
I have come across a few old shearing sheds on stations over here. but nothing anywhere as big as the one you mention. Oh to be able to go back in time to when it was at its peak, we’d see some really tough old blokes back then. The sort who helped to make this country what it is today. Unfortunately, much of our history has been lost now; indeed, there are those who would like to bury most our past sadly.
I know what you're saying about the feeling you got at the old shed, same thing has happened to me as mentioned in this poem.

Terry

[Terry]

Hi Maureen
I have thought about that!
I haven't been there for 5 years or so but I doubt it's changed much.
It's in real crab holy country with many of the graves half sunk and most are overgrown with scrub; it was in a pretty sad state to be honest.
Kanowna was quite a big place in it's day (it's just a ghost town now) and the cemetery has a fair share of residents, with lots of young children and also quite young women there as well.
Unlike many old goldfield graveyards this one has a lot of headstones as well.

I must try and do something about a Plaque with the poem on it - I'm not sure if I'd near permission - someone will probably pinch it anyway.

Cheers

Terry

[Terry]

Hi Maureen

The old Kanowna cemetery where the lead ran under it was abandoned and a new one was opened up a few miles away.
There was only the odd grave left in the old one when I first saw it in the early seventies.
The newer one is in what looks like a place that was chosen because it was unlikely to have any gold anywhere near it.
part of it is in real crabhole country and when I stopped to have a look at it last time it was in a very poor state.
Much modern work has been done in the area in recent years including digging up many of the old leads,
a mate of mine found some lovely gold there a few years back.

Terry

[Jeff Thorpe]

As you say Terry, "An oldie but a goodie". Thanks for sharing it again.

Regards, Jeff

[Neville Briggs]

Good one Terry. I am reminded of the German expressionist painter ( can't think of his name ) who painted a sort of anguished portrait of himself. He didn't see it for many years until one day, he saw the painting in a gallery and stood before it and burst into tears. I think you might know what he meant. A very expressive poem, right from your heart.

[Terry]

Thanks Jeff

Terry

[Terry]

Certainly brings back a lot of old memories of my early gold prospecting days Neville.
The fields had been more or less abandoned for years, but you could still sense the past around you,
Or at least I imagined I could.

Terry