New Horizons for Matilda – An Australian Way

This poem is about Australia and Australians. Australia has been viewed as a sunburnt country, it is a very dry continent. Yet recently we have witnessed the worst flooding ever recorded. This poem was written for an outstanding Australian Lawyer I met involved in the publishing of a magazine called the New Matilda http://newmatilda.com/. Waltzing Matilda the magazine is named after is a famous Australian song (now owned by US) which is the unofficial national anthem of Australia. It refers to a swagman (person travelling in the bush) who was approached by the police and rather than be caught he suicided. It emphasised the rebelliousness of Australians. http://www.imagesaustralia.com/waltzingmatilda.htm

I have written this poem with an Australian flavour. Clancy is mentioned which refers to Clancy of the overflow was a story about a bushman in the snowy mountains who was considered very courageous. His story was written by Banjo Patterson a famous Australian writer (see the story) http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/patersonab/poetry/clancy.html.

Billabongs are the traditional name for water holes and reflects an era where Australians were out in the bush, living off the land and very outspoken and visible. This quality of she’ll be right still exists today in Australia although you can see globalisation emerging and conservatism expanding as more people live and work in cities. The country folk are friendly but life and the culture has changed markedly. The residual toughness is in both men and women and I certainly can feel it in my roots. I came from a family of 10 great aunts who were the first to wear trousers I am told. The women in my family were very strong and their story is largely untold. I was told when young we were related to Ned Kelly although I believe that to not be true as couldn’t see us in his family tree. I guess every Australian family wants to have a connection to a bush ranger. So here is the poem to celebrate Australia Day, the spirit of courage of Australia not nationalism. We can put this energy into reconciliation and share this amazing country and pre-serve it.

NEW HORIZONS FOR MATILDA

It is the kind actions of individuals,
That add to the light of reason,
For it is reasonable to act,
At this time,
For Human Rights is the right agenda
from what is left,
And you are writing a new script,
Grafting new principles,
Branching out,
To be enshrined in international law,
For this is the shrine of remembrance,
That declares what is universal,
To be right,
And this institutionalises a framework,
Into the Constitution of our lives.

Waltz Sing Matilda was a famous song,
That Australian’s used to sing by the camp fire,
But many have forgotten the words,
How many sit by the bill-a-bong today?
Telling jokes and sleeping on swags,
For the easy going vernacular,
Was spectacular when you belong to folk law,
For we sang together the same song,
Of freedom, challenging authority and being the town clown,
And this is the greatest human right of all Australians,
Yet the water holes are drying up,
Water rights are signed away,
Open fields are private property,
The working class wear white collars,
For they are city bound,
And this is the only place,
Where you have the right to live
On contract wages.

It is time to come together,
For we have a right to sing this song,
To sing it loud,
Sing it strong,
Doesn’t matter if it is out of tune,
The important thing is that we sing,
For it will be loud and clear,
And this is the commotion that will change where we steer,
For we must round up support,
We must drive the point home,
For to follow like sheep,
Leaves us out in the open with nowhere to go,
For we must not let the market dictate the terms of our contract,
We have stopped at the station,
We know the game plan,
For Clancy’s courage must over flow,
Before another snowy scheme is hatched.

So thank you for your work,
It is quiet yet consistent,
Thorough and persistent,
Caring and concise,
For you are a lawyer with conscience,
And that makes you rise above the flock,
For I wish you luck,
In this great endeavour,
For that is how you discover new horizons,
And your work will be remembered,
For ever.

So you must know,
That this will flourish,
For the time is right,
There will be fights,
But truth always rises to the test,
Justice is balanced in the end,
And nothing is impossible,
When you face trials
With a smile.