Huey

[ALANM]

HUEY
(By Alan McCosker September 2019)

Huey lived alone in a one room hut by the river wollondilly
he never spoke about himself or gave hint of past or family
it was hard to tell how old he was, or whereabouts he came from
he worked all ‘round the station, rabbit trapper his job description

He didn’t have a motor to harass those buck toothed raiders
and the station was a big one, more than twenty thousand acres
a two wheeled sulky suited with an old bay horse to pull it
with a pack of mangy hunting dogs, tethered there beneath it

When he came across a warren the pack he’d then untether
the bunnies all would dive below running hell for leather
and while the dogs would keep ‘em down he’d stop up all the exits
except for one down which he’d pump the gas, which then did end it

He used his traps to catch a few to feed his mangy dog pack
and sometimes for a rabbit stew, with spuds and some old hard tack
he had a very pronounced limp, one leg shorter than the other
we guessed that it was from the war but it never seemed to bother

He liked to smoke old doctor pat a strong old plug tobacco
you could build a house in the time it took to shave a plug at smoko
if he was home we’d ’oft call in when working ‘cross the river
for a yarn and a smoke and a cup of tea he’d cheerfully deliver

Each time that two months passed on by he’d roll up to the big house
dressed in his best, turn out his horse, park the sulky by the chookhouse
the boss would run him to the gate to meet up with the mail car
and once in town, his cheque knocked down, he’d step up to the front bar

When he returned after several days he’d be loaded down with liquor
a cabby would run him to his hut, take the last of his cash and slither
the pack would join him in the hut and mess the room up something awful
and every time that he came ‘round, he’d swallow another skinful

He liked a variation when it came to drinking liquor
he always had hot bottled beer but spirits would sometimes differ
he mixed them fifty fifty said it gave the beer more punch
the pack would join him at the table and gobble up his lunch

This routine would last for days, ’till his liquor stock exhausted
we’d check in every now and then to see he hadn’t faltered
with the grog run out the pack kicked out and the hut made neat and tidy
he’d limp on up and catch his horse and harness up the sulky

And so his year would wander by, then christmas time he’d head out
for a week or two no-one knew where he went or if he’d checked out
but when january came around you’d find Huey in the paddocks
with his mangy pack and his horse and cart chasing down the rabbits

[Shelley Hansen]

Another one of those unforgettable characters, Alan!

[ALANM]

Hi Shelley,
Yes he was, I would have liked to have had him open up about his past, it would
have been a great story of the times he had lived through but he never would.
Cheers
Alan