Meekatharra Brickies
Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2019 10:29 am
Meekatharra Brickies
(By Alan McCosker September 2019)
At the end of my sea-farin’ days in the west , I was broke with no place to sleep
lucky for me my mate had found work and his boss was providing his keep
he’d slip me some tucker and I slept in our van, spendin’ each day at the job shop
I needed some luck or else I’d be stuck in the van, really stretching the friendship
The first job I got was to drive a flash ute, deliverin’ tyres all ‘round geraldton
after one day the tyre man said, “great job, good reports from all ‘round town”
after two days the tyre man said, “mate, of your licence I must have the details”
by then at sixteen, I still didn’t have one, so back to the job shop I hightailed
The very next day I said yes to a job, at meekatharra off-sidin’ a bricky
meekatharra was far nearly 400 miles, way out in the hot desert country
three of us crammed in the front of a ute, hot and sweaty the heat was intense
somewhere along the driver passed out, we crashed and got tangled in wire fence
The old ute survived and we three did too, a cold beer or two then we drove on
we pulled into mullewa pindar and yalgoo, stopped at mount magnet just on noon
wherever we could we bought a cold beer, it was steamy and hot in that ute cab
we finally got out to meeka tharrah, walkin’ sideways like three tipsy land crabs
We pulled into town took a quick look around and then fronted up at the royal mail
a lovely old pub where we booked in to lodge, as we helped to build them a new jail
a short easy walk to the site of the job but the brickies would drive every day there
a short stagger down street, the commercial hotel, at times we also would drink there
First day on the job the sun blazing down and all of us sufferin’ hangovers
I thought I had died and had gone straight to hell and in mortal pain wished it over
I had just turned sixteen and it was my job to mix mortar and carry cement blocks
to keep up with two brickies but thankfully they, were every bit battered as I was
As the hot days went by I managed to keep, my end up and was really grateful
the month on the cray-boat had toughened me up, of hard work I really was able
we started each day in the chill of the morn’, took siesta for two hours at noon
then laid blocks ’till dark, all but for sundays, which I’d spend fast asleep in my room
Each day after work, with everyone else, I’d breast up to the bar to knock back one
you weren’t s’posed to take, a drink in a bar in the West if you weren’t twenty plus one
I was only sixteen but no-one gave a care, my money was good as the next bloke
but my ten quid a week was barely enough to cover the cost so I stayed broke
December came ‘round I was still in the town, a telegram came from my old mate
“I’m headin’ back east” said he in the scrip “if you’re comin’, let me know post haste”
I was really tired of the heat and the flies, havin’ xmas there didn’t enthuse me
so I telegrammed back “ just give me a week, I’ll be there as fast as I can be ”
Next day I did quit, the boss had a fit, to replace me out there would be harder
but he paid me right up, nine quid was the lot, the rest had gone on swan lager
then I hit the road with my clothes in a roll, to hitch a ride back to old geraldton
It took me four days and each freezing night, I slept under a bush all my clothes on
Once I got back, we packed up the van and headed back home to the east states
crossed again nullarbor then some hundred miles more, home, just in time for xmas
thinking back now I’m not sure I know how, I survived all that at such a young age
bein’ big young and dumb I’d give most things a run, not always to my advantage
Authors note:
After I was laid off from the cray-boat it didn’t take me long to find another job, which I also lost, due to not having a drivers licence.
Shortly after that I was offered a job as a brickies labourer, with a contractor who had a contract some four hundred miles
away out at Meekatharra, laying blocks for the a new Police Station.
(By Alan McCosker September 2019)
At the end of my sea-farin’ days in the west , I was broke with no place to sleep
lucky for me my mate had found work and his boss was providing his keep
he’d slip me some tucker and I slept in our van, spendin’ each day at the job shop
I needed some luck or else I’d be stuck in the van, really stretching the friendship
The first job I got was to drive a flash ute, deliverin’ tyres all ‘round geraldton
after one day the tyre man said, “great job, good reports from all ‘round town”
after two days the tyre man said, “mate, of your licence I must have the details”
by then at sixteen, I still didn’t have one, so back to the job shop I hightailed
The very next day I said yes to a job, at meekatharra off-sidin’ a bricky
meekatharra was far nearly 400 miles, way out in the hot desert country
three of us crammed in the front of a ute, hot and sweaty the heat was intense
somewhere along the driver passed out, we crashed and got tangled in wire fence
The old ute survived and we three did too, a cold beer or two then we drove on
we pulled into mullewa pindar and yalgoo, stopped at mount magnet just on noon
wherever we could we bought a cold beer, it was steamy and hot in that ute cab
we finally got out to meeka tharrah, walkin’ sideways like three tipsy land crabs
We pulled into town took a quick look around and then fronted up at the royal mail
a lovely old pub where we booked in to lodge, as we helped to build them a new jail
a short easy walk to the site of the job but the brickies would drive every day there
a short stagger down street, the commercial hotel, at times we also would drink there
First day on the job the sun blazing down and all of us sufferin’ hangovers
I thought I had died and had gone straight to hell and in mortal pain wished it over
I had just turned sixteen and it was my job to mix mortar and carry cement blocks
to keep up with two brickies but thankfully they, were every bit battered as I was
As the hot days went by I managed to keep, my end up and was really grateful
the month on the cray-boat had toughened me up, of hard work I really was able
we started each day in the chill of the morn’, took siesta for two hours at noon
then laid blocks ’till dark, all but for sundays, which I’d spend fast asleep in my room
Each day after work, with everyone else, I’d breast up to the bar to knock back one
you weren’t s’posed to take, a drink in a bar in the West if you weren’t twenty plus one
I was only sixteen but no-one gave a care, my money was good as the next bloke
but my ten quid a week was barely enough to cover the cost so I stayed broke
December came ‘round I was still in the town, a telegram came from my old mate
“I’m headin’ back east” said he in the scrip “if you’re comin’, let me know post haste”
I was really tired of the heat and the flies, havin’ xmas there didn’t enthuse me
so I telegrammed back “ just give me a week, I’ll be there as fast as I can be ”
Next day I did quit, the boss had a fit, to replace me out there would be harder
but he paid me right up, nine quid was the lot, the rest had gone on swan lager
then I hit the road with my clothes in a roll, to hitch a ride back to old geraldton
It took me four days and each freezing night, I slept under a bush all my clothes on
Once I got back, we packed up the van and headed back home to the east states
crossed again nullarbor then some hundred miles more, home, just in time for xmas
thinking back now I’m not sure I know how, I survived all that at such a young age
bein’ big young and dumb I’d give most things a run, not always to my advantage
Authors note:
After I was laid off from the cray-boat it didn’t take me long to find another job, which I also lost, due to not having a drivers licence.
Shortly after that I was offered a job as a brickies labourer, with a contractor who had a contract some four hundred miles
away out at Meekatharra, laying blocks for the a new Police Station.