Gin's Song for Tilba

                  GIN’S SONG OF TILBA

                                by

                        Virginia Gow

                           21/01/11   

Verse 1

He was born in a barn way down in Tilba

He was raised as a hippy making hay

But he came to the city

To look for someone pretty

And there he decided to stay

Chorus

He sang,

It’s cold in those hills

But I still miss the mountain

Raining all the time, so verdant green

People there were kind of square

With baggy clothes and lanky hair

Those Tilba rainbow lovers were never mean.

Verse 2

He married himself a fancy lady

Had a house, a car, a boat and a mortgagee

He didn’t mind at all

He was having such a ball

Interviewing illegal emigraees 

Chorus

He sang,

It’s cold in those hills

But I still miss the mountain

Raining all the time, so verdant green

People there were kind of square

With baggy clothes and lanky hair

Those Tilba rainbow lovers were never mean.

Verse 3

They buried him in a big, black box in Tilba

Took his body home to be beside the sea

Throughout his tempestuous life,

Wild adventures, some little strife,

He never lost sight of the memories.

Chorus:

He sang,

It’s cold in those hills

But I still miss the mountain

Raining all the time, so verdant green

People there were kind of square

With baggy clothes and lanky hair

Those Tilba rainbow lovers were never mean.

Rod's song for Slim

                Rod’s Song for Slim

                                 by

                Rod Gow and Virginia Gow.

Verse 1

I’ve been around the top end

For the better part of my life

I’ve often been in trouble

Sometimes I’ve been in strife

I soon found out what life’s about

Among the top end mob

They help you with your problems and

They get on with the job.

Chorus:

I like the top end way of life

The people are true blue

And  a place is just it’s people

Be it many, or few.

Verse 2

When I first arrived at the top end

With a prayer and a couple of bob

A smart young southern city bloke

Found myself with a newspaper job.

Setting type and spinning yarns

Loved to leave my mark on a story

Hidden in the type, a message clear

That was my kind of glory.

Chorus:

I like the top end way of life

The people are true blue

And a place is just it’s people

Be it many, or few.


Verse 3

I learnt to roll with folky mob

With my girl from Parramatta

Songbird sweethearts, melting hearts away

We quietened all the chatter

One dark night, on the way to a gig

My bike ran into a car

Now I sing up the sun through the morning’s mist

You see, I have traveled so far.

Chorus:

I like the top end way of life

The people are true blue

And a place is just it’s people

Be it many, or few.

                    

Manly Poets' Group 03/01/11

I sit
Sit on a post
Post is russet-red
Russet-red, like my couch.
Couch beckons today
Today cool-rain day
Day of my first co-ordination
Co-ordination, ordination of my time
Time to be with the Poets' Group
Group to see my reliability
Reliability is my Manly reputation
Reputation of doing a given task.
Task of turning up
Turning up, even though it's a public holiday.
Public holiday, and the Library is closed!
Closed, but my mind is open.
Open to the reality of a poem

LADY ANNE

Philippine Journey    2009              by Virginia Jean Gow

Lady Anne was invited to Manila for breakfast,

Famous Anne, elegant Anne.

She flew in from Dubbo, for Peter’s birthday

Designer Peter, amusing Peter.

Peter is sixty; Lady Anne is much older,

But they have a shared history,

Have faded past glories.

Whispers of intrigue drew a curtain around them

Surrounding the Lady, who still held her style.

She wore her splendor tied with a ribbon in her hair.

Manila sparkled with renewed vigor

Welcomed the Lady back to her palaces.

We wandered the Casa, so steeped in history,

Where Spanish rule dominated for five hundred years.

We slid into shadows of Chinese Cemetery,

An unusual choice for a sixtieth celebration,

At walled Intramuros, that infamous prison

In the footsteps of Dr.Rizal we followed.

A party of difference,

We learned of rebellion and freedom’s dream.

We questioned the safety of riding a jeepna,

Especially one called “Chariot of God”.

It was a day to remember

A gossamer birthday

Peter is sixty; Lady Anne is much younger now.

memories

SISTERS OF THE FINKE

WRITERS’ GATHERINGS 2010-2011

SPECIAL DATES  2PM 4PM SERIOUS STUFF

•22nd Dec.

•5th Jan

•19th Jan

•2nd Feb

•16th Feb

•2nd Mar

•16th Mar

•30th Mar

•13th April

•27th April

•11th May

•25th May

•8ht June

•22nd June

•6ht July

•20th July

•3rd August

•17th August

•31st August

•14th Sept

•28th Sept

•12th Oct

•26th Oct

A DESERT WEAVING.

“IN HONOUR OF PIPPA”

I named Pippa Miss Universe when I first met her in the desert. She was dressed in white, her slender frame she carried with elegance. Her high cheekbones and polite conversation delivered with an exotic accent suggested ladylike tendencies of a European nature. Only later did I learn that she was of German extraction from Dorrigo. Our connection was casual, but deepened dramatically when we worked together on a project that I called “the bus incident”.

We had said our goodbyes to the Finke River Camp. A bus had arrived to take us back to the Alice. Unfortunately, the river sand was soft and the bus bogged down deep into the earth.

The desert sisters formed a circle and started a chanting. They were chanting a “bubble” around the bus so that it would move. This was too much for some of the party. They realized that no amount of song wishes would move a bus. Why would it? Physical strength and practical knowhow was needed. About eight sisters extracted themselves from the circle and started working. They piled stones under the wheels of the bus, building a solid path for the bus to try to back up on. Pippa was one of these people. We worked like navies till the bus moved.

Pippa and I were invited to ride back with one of the tour men, Ron, in a jeep. One the way we stopped at Simpson’s Creek, and Ron “painted up” Pippa and myself with the ochre from the surrounding clay pans. It was a joyous connection for Pippa and myself. I didn’t wash the ochre off till morning.

The next time I felt Pippa’s spirit was at the Memorial Gathering held at Ulli’s home. I remember the photo displayed on a sideboard, surrounded by candles, offerings, and friends. In this photo, Pippa lay in state, encased in white, eyes closed by death. She was just like Miss Universe, a queen in heaven, God bless her.

Virginia Jean Gow

27/09/10

BIODIVERSITY IN COLOUR

BIODIVERSITY IN COLOUR

Science Week was celebrated at Manly’s North Head, “Sunday at the Sanctuary – a living lab” on Sunday, 22^nd August.

Several artists were invited By Manly Environment Centre to contribute to this celebration of Biodiversity by creating visual images in a range of diverse media.

As a participating artist my response to the concept of biodiversity was to focus on the brilliant colours that surrounded me.

These brilliant colours from Nature’s bountiful palette represented a challenge for me.

Our Australian bush is so rich in subtle shades and tints that the eye is dazzled by the diversity of greens and the richness of browns and ochres.

Everywhere the complementary pairs of red and green, blue and orange, purple and yellow were caught in the interplay of light and shadow.

Beyond my easel a brilliant blue sky contrasted with the vivid orange of a gravel parade ground.

I selected Cerulean Blue as my main primary colour and Cadmium Orange as the complementary secondary shade.

By mixing and tinting with a dash of black and a pinch of white my palette became a diverse blend of warm and cool, light and dark, rich and subtle.

From the brightness of fern to the silver green and pink foliage of new gum leaves colour danced across my eyes.

I felt very privileged to be sharing this celebration of biodiversity with fellow artists who each expressed a unique response to our site.

Our site symbolized for us the endless variety of Nature’s creative life force, her bountiful expressions through form, texture, colour and light.

As we artists’ worked our own creative magic I felt a surge of grateful wonder at the visual splendor of Nature’s canvas.

Virginia Jean Gow

August, 2010.

|

BIODIVERSITY IN COLOUR

Science Week was celebrated at Manly’s North Head, “Sunday at the Sanctuary – a living lab” on Sunday, 22^nd August.

Several artists were invited By Manly Environment Centre to contribute to this celebration of Biodiversity by creating visual images in a range of diverse media.

As a participating artist my response to the concept of biodiversity was to focus on the brilliant colours that surrounded me.

These brilliant colours from Nature’s bountiful palette represented a challenge for me.

Our Australian bush is so rich in subtle shades and tints that the eye is dazzled by the diversity of greens and the richness of browns and ochres.

Everywhere the complementary pairs of red and green, blue and orange, purple and yellow were caught in the interplay of light and shadow.

Beyond my easel a brilliant blue sky contrasted with the vivid orange of a gravel parade ground.

I selected Cerulean Blue as my main primary colour and Cadmium Orange as the complementary secondary shade.

By mixing and tinting with a dash of black and a pinch of white my palette became a diverse blend of warm and cool, light and dark, rich and subtle.

From the brightness of fern to the silver green and pink foliage of new gum leaves colour danced across my eyes.

I felt very privileged to be sharing this celebration of biodiversity with fellow artists who each expressed a unique response to our site.

Our site symbolized for us the endless variety of Nature’s creative life force, her bountiful expressions through form, texture, colour and light.

As we artists’ worked our own creative magic I felt a surge of grateful wonder at the visual splendor of Nature’s canvas.

Virginia Jean Gow

August, 2010.

|