Mates out bush
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 2:23 pm
Quite a few years ago now I took an old mate up to the goldfields for a prospecting holiday (he being a city lad)
We’d just returned from a fly fishing trip up in the Tassie highlands where it was a heck of a lot cooler than the 40 deg temps we encountered on this trip.
Well my old mate almost melted, the only saving grace was a couple of ice cold beers at the end of each day.
I normally never take booze up bush but as this was a holiday we took a long a good supply of ‘Light Ice’. which was a very low alcohol beer at that time and was quite a nice drink as long as it was real cold. We’d put a few in the fridge each night then 4 into the freezer at lunch time and they’d be perfect by the time we’d knocked of detecting. The poor fridge/freezer was battling to combat the heat.
It became a daily ritual to hear John counting down, first the hours and then the minutes before ‘Light Ice’ - Terry
MATES OUT BUSH
That summer was the hottest that I’d seen for many years.
and flies were at their thickest; but we did have ice cold beers.
Two cans per day per man perhaps; that was our daily treat,
the freezer wouldn’t hold much more because it’s full of meat.
We camped amidst a gimlet grove out Eucalyptus way,
and we were really spitting chips before the end of day.
It was around about mid March, and John had felt the heat,
and by the time the sun had set he really did look beat.
He counted down the minutes as the mercury would soar,
while praying for the moment when we’d sip a beer once more.
And being city bred, (poor chap), he really paid a price,
and longed then for that moment when we’d sink our first Light Ice.
And through three weeks of searing heat I’d hear his plaintive cries,
about the heat and country, then he’d curse the flam’en flies.
And on the hour every hour - he’d always be precise,
the countdown would continue, on how long before light ice.
*****
We’d just returned from a fly fishing trip up in the Tassie highlands where it was a heck of a lot cooler than the 40 deg temps we encountered on this trip.
Well my old mate almost melted, the only saving grace was a couple of ice cold beers at the end of each day.
I normally never take booze up bush but as this was a holiday we took a long a good supply of ‘Light Ice’. which was a very low alcohol beer at that time and was quite a nice drink as long as it was real cold. We’d put a few in the fridge each night then 4 into the freezer at lunch time and they’d be perfect by the time we’d knocked of detecting. The poor fridge/freezer was battling to combat the heat.
It became a daily ritual to hear John counting down, first the hours and then the minutes before ‘Light Ice’ - Terry
MATES OUT BUSH
That summer was the hottest that I’d seen for many years.
and flies were at their thickest; but we did have ice cold beers.
Two cans per day per man perhaps; that was our daily treat,
the freezer wouldn’t hold much more because it’s full of meat.
We camped amidst a gimlet grove out Eucalyptus way,
and we were really spitting chips before the end of day.
It was around about mid March, and John had felt the heat,
and by the time the sun had set he really did look beat.
He counted down the minutes as the mercury would soar,
while praying for the moment when we’d sip a beer once more.
And being city bred, (poor chap), he really paid a price,
and longed then for that moment when we’d sink our first Light Ice.
And through three weeks of searing heat I’d hear his plaintive cries,
about the heat and country, then he’d curse the flam’en flies.
And on the hour every hour - he’d always be precise,
the countdown would continue, on how long before light ice.
*****
