ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

OODNADATTA



I've traveled many highways all across this land
and around the world I've wandered endlessly.
my soul is constantly seeking the highway heading home
it's Oodnadatta now that I'm longing to see.
To walk the streets I walked when I was younger,
before bad choices ruined everything.
I know I won't regret that I am going back
to visit Oodnadatta in the Spring.

I remember Mothers tears as she watched me drive away.
“Remember home is where the heart is Love” she cried.
But youth has no foreboding, lives only for today
and how could I know of hurt she hid inside.
When my selfishness made me leave I never gave a thought
to the sorrow to her that my leaving caused.
It was all about what I wanted and what I had to do
I left to live my life without a pause.

So now I'm going home to Oodnadatta
and beside me on the seat of the old Chev,
are a dozen soft sweet roses for my Mother,
all in her favourite shades of cream and red.
As the Chev crawls up the driveway to the homestead,
a black and sombre hearse stands at the door.
Inside a simple casket made of rosewood
bears an inscription 'Love you Mum for evermore.'

The family have gathered on the verandah
they hug and kiss, shake hands and say 'G'day'
there are old friends from my past, all together now at last
to see my lovely Mother on her way.
Now it's Mum who is leaving Oodnadatta
and Mum who is driving the highway
Whilst the wanderer returned is the one who's crying now
watching sadly as her Mother leaves today.

Maureen Clifford ©

G'day Maureen,
I spent quite a bit of time in Oodna' in the 90's, I somehow just can't make this poem fit the scene!... I think it would be quite a good poem for anyone who doesn't know the place, but it just doesn't quite work for me! I know people's mothers die there too, but the scenes you paint just don't call out Oodnadatta to me!.......

Never been there Ross - so that no doubt is a fair comment but couldn't get it to work with the real place name Poetic licence will have to come into play with this one Did I make it sound better or worse? Or is Ooodnadatta a place that you would never ever want to go back to

Came across this - tagged as Anonymous but someone may know who wrote it

OODNA-BLOODY-DATTA

This town's a bloody cuss, No bloody trams, no bloody bus,
And no one cares for bloody us, In Oodna bloody datta .

Just bloody heat and bloody flies, The bloody sweat runs in your eyes,
And if it rains, what a surprise! In Oodna bloody datta.

No bloody fun, no bloody games, No bloody sport. No bloody dames,
Won't even give their bloody names,In Oodna bloody datta.

No bloody clouds or bloody rain, No bloody curbs no bloody drains,
The bloody councils got no brains, In Oodna bloody datta.

The bloody goods are bloody dear, A bloody buck for a bloody beer,
But is it good? no bloody fear, In Oodna bloody datta.

The bloody dances make you smile, The bloody band is bloody vile,
They only cramp your bloody style, In Oodna bloody datta

The best place is in bloody bed, With bloody ice upon your head,
You might as well be bloody dead, In Oodna bloody datta.

Anonymous.

With all those bloodies in it Ross has got to be my sort of town


Cheers

Maureen

Ross, I think it is meant to be more a poem about love and loss rather than about the environment of a particular place.

Maureen K Clifford wrote:
OODNA-BLOODY-DATTA

This town's a bloody cuss, No bloody trams, no bloody bus,
And no one cares for bloody us, In Oodna bloody datta .

This sounds like MEEKA-bloody-THARRA to me ...

Should you ever venture to Oodna' Muareen, I doubt you will want to rush back! Yes Neville, I actually thought as I was reading the poem, it would be a good poem to anyone who has never been there, I did suspect that Maureen hadn't been there or I am sure she would have picked another town name to use ....just a smaller version I think Manfred!

Probably not Ross I bat for the underdog...I wrote it in November 2009 along with Linga Longa....who knows what was going on in my head back then

You would be right Neville it was/is about love and loss - the problem never solved but the goalposts definitely moved, and it doesn't matter all that much these days as to who won or lost the game Old news.