The Way We Were
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:59 pm
This is a true story and it happened about 40 years ago, when a couple of mates and I decided to do a little exploring of our own.
We set off from well north of Laverton (WA) and headed in a north easterly direction and then eventually more or less true east.
The idea was to head out to the Urlic Ranges (not sure if I have spelt that correctly) and search for gold at was the then thought to be on the western edge of what was often referred to as Lassiter County. Well we didn't find any gold but we did find this place and I've never forgotten it
Terry
The Way We Were
There’s a track that’s rarely travelled, yet I urge you to go there,
for a story that’s worth telling, will be waiting if you dare.
You must face the isolation of this long-forgotten spot,
where the past lies all but hidden in this place that time forgot,
First impressions are of starkness as you pause to look around,
yet, you sense there’s something special there just waiting to be found.
Breakaways rise high and overlook this ancient sunburnt land,
with its twisting, tortured, bone-dry creeks, and scorching desert sand.
You can feel the past around you from the few things that remain;
remnants of the goldrush days when most who came here toiled in vain.
Yet as harsh as life then must have been; true mateship found a way
and those friendships stood the test of time; the proof survives today
On a barren rock-strewn craggy ridge there stands a cairn of stone,
that protects a special plaque, on which a hero’s name is shown.
Dedicated to a mate of theirs who marched away to war
and who lost his life in battle on a distant foreign shore.
You may wonder why that plaque is there so far from anywhere,
but no doubt there was a reason why it’s placed there with such care.
Nearby mines must hold the answer though they hide their secret still,
of the reason for this plaque, and for the cairn up on the hill.
There with heavy hearts I’m sure, beneath those skies of endless blue,
mates of his paid tribute to him in the only way they knew.
They had placed that plaque out there, informing all who may pass by,
that the spirit of their mate lives on, and it would never die.
You can only now admire, the dedication of those men
and to me it paints a picture of what mateship meant back then.
They had honoured here a much-loved friend out on this dusty plain
and you wonder if such men will ever grace this land again.
As the sun is slowly setting and the harshness starts to fade,
you then think about that soldier and the friendships that he made.
For he must have been a special bloke from what you have seen here
and you sense at least in spirit, that he surely still roams near.
Then like me your mind may wander as you look there at that scene,
back to nights around their campfire, and the way things might have been.
Weary men at rest relaxing as the heat of day took flight
and the starkness had been hidden by the shadows of the night.
I imagined I could see them with the billy on to brew;
hear them yarning by the dying coals the way that best mates do.
Way out on this desert fringe, a lifetime friendship had begun,
that in time they’d grow to treasure more than any gold they won.
When I looked back to the ridge and saw the cairn and plaque up there
I then thought about the selflessness of mates who really care.
Silhouetted there at dusk, it paints a haunting lasting view,
telling of the past here, and the kind of men that soldier knew.
______________________
© T.E. Piggott
We set off from well north of Laverton (WA) and headed in a north easterly direction and then eventually more or less true east.
The idea was to head out to the Urlic Ranges (not sure if I have spelt that correctly) and search for gold at was the then thought to be on the western edge of what was often referred to as Lassiter County. Well we didn't find any gold but we did find this place and I've never forgotten it
Terry
The Way We Were
There’s a track that’s rarely travelled, yet I urge you to go there,
for a story that’s worth telling, will be waiting if you dare.
You must face the isolation of this long-forgotten spot,
where the past lies all but hidden in this place that time forgot,
First impressions are of starkness as you pause to look around,
yet, you sense there’s something special there just waiting to be found.
Breakaways rise high and overlook this ancient sunburnt land,
with its twisting, tortured, bone-dry creeks, and scorching desert sand.
You can feel the past around you from the few things that remain;
remnants of the goldrush days when most who came here toiled in vain.
Yet as harsh as life then must have been; true mateship found a way
and those friendships stood the test of time; the proof survives today
On a barren rock-strewn craggy ridge there stands a cairn of stone,
that protects a special plaque, on which a hero’s name is shown.
Dedicated to a mate of theirs who marched away to war
and who lost his life in battle on a distant foreign shore.
You may wonder why that plaque is there so far from anywhere,
but no doubt there was a reason why it’s placed there with such care.
Nearby mines must hold the answer though they hide their secret still,
of the reason for this plaque, and for the cairn up on the hill.
There with heavy hearts I’m sure, beneath those skies of endless blue,
mates of his paid tribute to him in the only way they knew.
They had placed that plaque out there, informing all who may pass by,
that the spirit of their mate lives on, and it would never die.
You can only now admire, the dedication of those men
and to me it paints a picture of what mateship meant back then.
They had honoured here a much-loved friend out on this dusty plain
and you wonder if such men will ever grace this land again.
As the sun is slowly setting and the harshness starts to fade,
you then think about that soldier and the friendships that he made.
For he must have been a special bloke from what you have seen here
and you sense at least in spirit, that he surely still roams near.
Then like me your mind may wander as you look there at that scene,
back to nights around their campfire, and the way things might have been.
Weary men at rest relaxing as the heat of day took flight
and the starkness had been hidden by the shadows of the night.
I imagined I could see them with the billy on to brew;
hear them yarning by the dying coals the way that best mates do.
Way out on this desert fringe, a lifetime friendship had begun,
that in time they’d grow to treasure more than any gold they won.
When I looked back to the ridge and saw the cairn and plaque up there
I then thought about the selflessness of mates who really care.
Silhouetted there at dusk, it paints a haunting lasting view,
telling of the past here, and the kind of men that soldier knew.
______________________
© T.E. Piggott