ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

G/day Marty,
Brings back memories when as a young bloke I set forth to see the world, managed to get as far as Queensland and had a job at Kalamia (I think) sugar mill at Ayr working shifts. I stayed at the barracks and I'd no sooner get to bed before I'd be roused out because someone hadn't turned up for work, this went on for months. No wonder I became a prospector.

Terry

The tone of the poem suits the topic Marty - can feel the monotony, the tiredness, the struggle.

Heather

If you took some time and put punctuation in Marty, it would go quite well I think.
Punctuation, as far as I understand it , is not a pedantic chore to conform to some schoolma'am's rules. It indicates the pauses in the flow of speech.

With the pauses in the right places, that would enable us to hear it as you would perform it. A good performance piece for the jaded workers.

By the way " compliant" complies with standard spelling

I agree, give it a polish, Marty. It's a topic not touched upon and you've painted the picture well.

Yep, Terry - it is Kalamia Mill - as immortalised in lyric by Don Walker (he was born in Ayr)
Railroad goes, Kalamia Mill.
If the heat don't get ya, taipan will.
Six o'clock, the whistle sing,
CSR is the sugar can king.

I, too can see allurance of prospecting as opposed to the mill.

Marty