CLAN IVI a cLEi{}{AI{ ASSOC [Alf I o r!CRAF]'ON BI1ANCH

(First Brauch in t!:e Worid outside Scottarrd.)

i{EWSLE'f TEITAPR,]L 1995

PRESIDENT: Malcolm l4lcl;ennan, P.O. Box 241 , Sth. Grai Lon.2 461 . .VICE PRESIDENT: Errol Newton, Wharf Street' Wombah. 2466......SECRETARY: Me].ba Austen, Chambigil€, Via Grafton.246ATREASURER: Thora Mcleod, P.O. Box 5, Brushgrove-2460- -

PUBLICITY OFFICER: Joan Smith, Redbank, Cangai -246AWEL:iARE OFFICER: Daph HilL, 5 William Sb., Sth. Graf t:on.2461..

PRESIDENTIS REPORT

Dear Clansfolk,

On behalf of Grafton Clan Branch Iand those not in the best of health may

What a relief it is so have the wretched drought behind us,although some areas are not fairing well and are stitl in very dryconditions despite the good rain this year.

fan Mclennan, a cousin of miner gav€ me access to sugar cane tohelp me overcome the terrible ordeal and he also helped cut and load,Many thanks lan. fan has a sugar and beef property at Lawrence, itis situated on the peninsula at Broadwater, a very pretty area. ranis also one of our Clan Pipers and is always avaj-lable to help out.

i He enjoys his piping and contributes a 1ot of his energy and Limeto the Maclean Pipe Band particularly with the younger players. Ianis eager to get a group of pipers and supporters together to f1y to

/ 6.r- - ^\+,24il',9r, good tour organiser and leader as he had about 20years as Senior

:f r# \EllSteward with Qantas. r hope it comes to frui-tion:cri rlllt

We lost Arch Mclennan earlier this month, it is sad to see oursenior folk pass on. --\rch was a fine man aLnd an asset to his family;r.nci district. He seemed to be in happy spirits whenever r saw himand he had a big funeral. The Mayor of Nymboida Shi-re Gaine Cartmillgave a warm and touching eulogy at his service. Arch was in his 96thyear and. was respected by all.

David Freeman is eager to get a reunion with Freeman and Mclennanfamilies and to put into action an historical event regarding theArmidale Grafton road. He is open to suggestions and a get togetherin 1996. David's organising skill will be of benefit in such an event.

On the 19th l"larch our Clan Branch had a luncheon and meeting at"Boondah", Eric and Mel-ba Austens place at Chambigne. What a lovelyday we had ' it is a special treat to be able to have our meetingscoupled with good company at private homes and properties. At gric6hd lotelba' s place we en joyed that rare guietness and the generositygiven by them. Melba is our Secretary (nee Mclennan).

Maxine Brooks, Errol Newton and I had the tour of the propertyin the comfort of a 4 wheel drive and very much enjoyed what Erichad to show us. It was obviously relaxing as we hadn't gone fiveminutes and the lu11aby mood took over. As I sat beside Errol I was

4242904645224 4929047 637 1

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extend greetings to you allyou soon be recovered and well

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occasionalty supporting his body as he slumbered away, a Iove1ylunch had preceded the drive.

Many thanks to our executive and their families. Their effortskeep us viable and active. Whether it is their home hospitality,Maxine drafting and typing the newsletters or general service ofgood wiII and care it is aII very much appreciated.

Congratulations to Deanne and Ross Steen on the arrival of theirson Brodie Malcolm. Deanners mother Thora wilI be busy adding newdates and photographs to the family tree which she has so capablycompiled over the years.

We stilt await news on CIan Maclennan Scottish affiliation andthere isn't any l;crd cn the Court of the Lord Lyon regarding Ruairidh'position

I was very pleased to receive a letter from Chief Ruairidhthanking us for our hospitality and fellowship shown to him and hisaccompaning party when they visited Grafton in JuIy last year.

God bless you al-I

Yours sincerely,

Malcolm McLennan

SECRETARY'S REPORT

Dear C1an Members,

Last night I sat outside to the sounds of the bush and withthe fuII moon it was a beautiful night.

After reading tite "Highland Cleareilces" on Scotia.nd and the"KiIIing Frost" on Ireland, the horrific conditions these people hadto enduie I thought what a wonderful country we live in here inAustralia. But is it going to stay this walr our freedom of speechis being taken away and the civil libertarians are having too muchto say.

Members of the Clan gathered at the our home on March 1 9th forthe general meeting which was preceded by a delightful luncheon heldon tfie patio. After the meeting Eric escorted some members for a

drive around the property followed by afternoon tea.

The suggestion from Clan Maclennan Sydney Branch for a changeof name and for the Clans to unite and become known as CIan MaclennanN.S.W. and Canberra was well discussed. It was with a unanimous votethat our Clan remain as Clan Maclennan Grafton Branch. The GraftonBranch was the fi::st Maclennan CIan formed in Australia. As beforewe will give our support to other branches. Our CIan has membersscattered throughout Queensland, N.S.W. and Victoria.

Much correspondence was iead including a Ietter from David

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Freeman f rotn Taree. David is organising a celebration for the j50thAnniversary of the discovery of 'the road from Armidale to Graftonby Alexander Mclennan and William Freeman and is looking at Nymboidato be the focal point. The suggested date being August 1996 and isIooking at a family reunion, a horse trail ride from the Tablel-andsto the Coast along the origionar route, historical disprays andIectures, old fashioned dance and picnic.

Our Clan has suggested a family picnic day at eitherPark or the coaching station and if you wourd rike to behistoric occasion prease write to David Freeman, p.o. Box2430 and terr him that you are interested and wilring toa very special occasion.

Cartmi I Ipart of this

694, Tareehelp make it

f would like to thanh all those vrho have written since our lastnewsretter with your support, it is very much appreciated.

our very best to those who are not werr, some we know beingPercy Browne, Len McGrath, sid HiII. Good to know that red Finn isimproving. The good work our Welfare Officer Daph Hill is doing isto be commended and anyone in the district in nela of a friendl!chat can contact Daph

r must say cheers for now and a Happy Easter to one and all.

Kind regards,

MeIba

ITEMS OF' INTEREST

Thora and Malcolm l"lcl,eod along with Tom and Shannon Spring attendedthe "Burns Night" at Maclean, the Scottish town in Australia, inJanuary. A very enjoyable night.

Percy and Bertha Browr:e spent the hoL montirs of the Christmas periodal- thelr Lreach hoi::e ac Minnie Waters and Bertha reported that theyreally enjoyed the visit Of Eric and Melba along with Lenore Mclennan

Everyone here was ecstatic when the rains finally came, thephotographer caught one Ivlclennan standing in the rain with a grina mile wide.

Alexander Mclennan who wrote the poem "An Exile's Dream" f was theeldest son of Donald and Anne (McPherson) Mclennan and grandson ofAlexander and Mary (Matheson) Mclennan. He had two brothers Duncanand Donald Cameron Mclennan who married Jessie Ward. Alexander wasa great oarsman. He went to England as a young man and married inEngland and never returned. He was still alive in 1931 when hisbrother Duncan died. He was then in his eighties. One day we mightfind out when he passed away.

We have had a great response to our newsletters r doy members witharticles of interest please send them to the Secretary. Thanks toTed Finn of Sydney for articles, hope to see you at Maclean HighlandGathering Ted!

Joan Smith has reported thatSydney for another operation.operations, he is now Syears

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grandson Jeremy hasThis brave little

old and is enjoying

recently been tochap has had manypre-schooI.

LIINOR]]' S TI1IP TO NEW ZIJALAND

Late in December I flew to Auckland N. Z. to spend Christmas anda month with my daughter Barbara and husband Stephen Jelicich. Allof their six children and twelve grandchildren were there to celebrateChristmas. The youngest daughter Gabrielle had just arrived with heryoung daughter and son from Florence,Italy where she is a futlyqualified jeweller.

We had a lovely Christnras dinner at Lake Taupa with my number i

three granddaughter Fiona who has a very large nursery there. It wasgreat to be part of all the Christmas festivities especially with thelittle ones and their joy when opening gifts. I spent a week at herfriend's home overlooking Lake Taupo. ft was such a relaxing timethere as the Lake is in a very picturesque setting and is home tofishing, adventure activities and many thermal- sports. It is one ofthe largest crater lakes in the world.

We spent Boxing Day at number two granddaughter' s place, whereshe and her husband Johann run a very large dairy. They were milking540 cows and expected the number to be up to 700 by early this year.They live in Waikite VaIIey near Rotorua. Quite a number of theproperties have converted. from grazing to dairying and aII seem tohave planted quite large areas with pine which will later on be a goodmoney spinner.

I also spent a lovely weekend withat Whangarea. She and her husband havestorey home. Both are Art teachers andfinishes and furnishings.

my eldest granddaughter Nicolecompletely restored a two-have used their skills in wali

The roads throughout our trips were first class and the country-sicle just beautif uI, w-i-th so many trees, loveIy pastures and welIkept f arms" N.Z. was ex5:eriencing a dr:r season like we were and manyplaces were short of water.

Stephen, who until recently was an architect and city planner,took me to several interesting places. The Museum, the rose gardensand a huge underground glass aquarium depicting the Antartic region,its plants, animals and fish..quite spectacular.

Whilst in N.Z. I contacted Ross Maclennan, the Chief's Lieutenantand Branch President who lives in Hamilton. We had a good chat andhe very kindly forwarded several newsletters including one from N.2..

I arrived back on the 1 Bth January to a very busy airport andcity as the Pope was due to arrive in an hour. I have never travelledon such congested streets coming to the Domestic Terminal.

It was a lovely New Zealand trip but it was great to be home.

Lenore

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Jock and his wife were in court seeking a divorce and afterhearing both ?i9"?_t!. judge gave his verdict. "you have neglectedthis woman and failed your duty to her". I therefore award her thesum of $200:00 a week. "Thatrs very good of you your honourr,'saidJock, "r'1r try to slip her a dolrai or two myserr sometime".

BIRTHS: BETHANY ROSE McLENNAN, Born 2znd, February 'l 995 to Leanneand Matthew Mclennan. Granddaughter for Judith and RonMclennan. Ron is the son of the rate Hunter and Fanny RoseMcLennan.

BRODIB MALCOLM STEEN, Born 13th ivlarch 1995 to Deanne andRon steen, Grandson for Thora and Marcorm Mcleod.

ENGAGEMENT: MARDI ELIZABETH ELLIS to Ch::istopher James Woods. Mardi

-----iE ttre daughter of Barry and Helen nltis of Kangaroo CreekRd- Coutts Crossing. Mardi is the granddaughter of the lateBrian . and Jessie Mclennan.

DEATHS: FRAZER McLENNAN, passed away on the 20th November 1994. Lateof 406 Dunoon Road, Tullera. Edna and Frazer have been membersfor many years. our deepest sympathy goes to Edna and family.STANLEY GEORGE McLENNAN, passed away 22nd December 1gg4 atthe age of B3yrs. stan was the son of the late Kenneth Georgeand carorine Mclennan. our deepest sympathy to his wife Betfyand her family.

ARCHTBALD McLENNAN, passed away on the 5th March lg95 aged95yrs. Arch lived at "valrey view" Nymboida aIr his riie onthe property orj-gionarly settled by his father about I Bg7-gB.Arch had six brothers and four sisters, only one sister remains,Mary whitford of sydney. Arch was a real gentleman, a goodchurchman and family man. r am sure he would not have had oneenemy in this worl-d. Arch and Rita had one daughter NancyBennett who died in 1g7B aqred 41yrs. Arch and Rita helpedtheir son-in-law Keith Bennett rear their four young chitdren.when Rita passed away in 1992 their granddaughter Jackie Lambcame home to rook after Arch. He witl be sadry missed by al1who knew him.

THANKS EROM MALCOLM

Mr. MaIcoIm Lobban desires to express his sincere thanks to thefollowing for their assistance in the provision of material for theN.S.W. chapter of the new "Maclennan History" book due out early 1995:

Mr John Edwards and the Coutts Crossj-ng & Nymboida District HistoricafSociety, Mrs Thora Mcleod and Mrs Daphne HilI for the use of photos,Mrs Sue Catterall-, Mrs Carme1 McDonald, Mr David Freeman and Mr LeonVance for their assistance in the collection of valuable genealogicalmaterial.

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SEED CAKE

150 grms Self-raising flour1 teasp. Baking powder1 teasp. Carraway seeds100 grms. Butter

1 00 brms. Sugar2 Eggs1 teasp. Whisky

Mix dry ingredients. cream butter and sugar. Beat eggs and whiskytogether. Add wj.th flour mixture to the creamed mix. Pour into agreased and base-lined 20cm (g inch) cake tin, Bake for 45 mins at175 degrees C. (350 degrees F') .

FA]RY BRIDGE

i'i}'le::e ihree rive::s and three roads converge between Waternish andDunvegan. Once upon a time a Chief ot- ti-ie i,lacleods n.a::r:ied a fairy.but after some years had passed. nostalgia overtook Mrs Macleod. AIonging so strong that she announced she must return to the land ofFaerie. Sadly Macleod wal-ked with her from the castle and they partedby the burn now spanned. by Fairy Bridge.

Many meetings were held here during the period of the Disruption andvast congregations would assemble to be instructed in the evils of theEstablished Church and the virtues of the Free Church. Here, too, dta later date the crofters met to discuss Land Reform and listen to thefierce oratory of John Macpherson, "The Grendale Martyr".

CYILD _ CARE SAVES LIFE

The Black Isle people stil-} tell tales about the deeds of one DonaldGruimach, a notorj-ous cattle-Iifter and generai outlaw. He was notedfor his strengtl-r and cunning but was in the end hanged at Dingwallfor cattle stealing.

There is one tale whicl-i illustrates how clever he was at throwing hispursuers off the scent. One afternoon the Laird of Applecross misseda sheep and having seen Donald on the hiIl, was certain that he wasthe theif. Cal-ling ioget,her a number of his men, he ordered them toarm at once and proceed to the outlaw's house, where they were to makea thorough search for the missing property. If successful in theirquest, the Iaird promised to make him such an example as would foronce and all stop such misdeeds.

It was evening when the party arrived at Donald.'s cottage and enteringwithout ceremony they discovered the wanted man rocking a cradle.Signing to them to be silent, Donald asked in a whisper what theywanted. "tr{e are }ooking for a wedder which was stolen this afternoonand we think you took it", was the reply. "Me", replied the surprisedDona1d, " I'd as soon eat the contents of this cradle as steal fromApplecross. Search the place, but 'it quietly"

On tiptoe t}-re men peered into every nook and cranny and then wentthrough the outhouses but had at length to return to the Lairdconvinced that he had made a mistake. But the Laird was right,although he did nol know it until long afterr,vards and Donald ate thecontents of the cradle in peace.

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SCETLAND'S NA.TIONAL PO OT

As a lifelong mcmber of the Brlms Society, both hcre and in Scotland, I u,ould likc, on behalf of theBurns Club of S-vdney and lv1a.v Dickie, its Hon. Sec. this many a year, to alert you all in plenty oftime to the fact that a large and unprecedented Intcrnational Flstival ii to take placc in Drmfiics,Scotland, in July 1996 ta coninrcrilorate thc dcath of Scotland's National and rvcli - Iovcd bard. Thcconxrlcmoration u,iil rcall.r takc place throughout that ycar and thcrc is a provisional programmc out,but morc dctails rvill bc givcn latcr. It is to bc hopcd that urany rcprcscutativcs from Airstralia rvillattcnd rvhctircr thcy arc Bui-us Socict), n.tcn-tbcrs or not. Bunrs spokc for all mon and \\,orncn.Hotvcvcr, for thosc Australiar/Scots rvho arc unablc to go ovcrsc;rs wc want you to knorv tfiat acotlrbincd Burns Diltncr in a ccntral vcnuc in Sydncy is planncd, rvith a Bunrs Statuc Coronrony onSunda,,, 2l july I99(r. Don't Sa1, 1r,. didn't givc y,ou suffrcicnt noticc! At thc last Bunrs Ccntcnaryin 1896 llunrs Clubs and all ALrstralian/Scottish Associ;rtions arr:und thc countrl,ccntri'outedtorvards tho sci;ciing of a lrrcatir o['1000 Australian flot,crs to Scotland for thc ivrcath layingccrctl,onY ai fhc iv{ausoicurn in St h'lichacl's Churchyard in Dumfries. Notv, just think about whatI said. 1000 Australian flot';crs b1' ship in I ti96. I{ou, on canh did they kccp thcm frcsh? Thcy wcrecncascd in a 24 huncircd rvciglrt block of icc, that's horv. T'hc story-, rvrittcn in thc Dumfrics Standardof the 8 August 1896 u,cirt as follorvs: -

"From the land of frozen mcat there has comc to thc tomb of Bums a frozen memorial rvreath of mostbeautiful flowers. It ought to have reached our shores in time for the ceremony of the 2lst, but inconsequence of a series of nusadventures its dispatch rvas dclayed. Providently perhaps, for theicebcrg in ivhich the rvrcath is Iocigcd could notirave becn propcrly disposcd oion that occasionrvithout incurrirtg coilsidorablc risk and scriously intcrnrpting thc course of cvcnts. Arriving later,therc rvas nothing to cnicr into con:pctition rvith it and as thc tributc of a Contincnt, procccdirrg ,ror"cspccially frcnr ilte Scottish confratcrnitics thcrc. it dcservcd a dcmonstration to itsclf. Ycslcrdaycvcning thc strccts u'crc throrrgoC as tlrc nrassivc block of icc rvith its fioral trcasurc cmbcdclcd in ii,artd ditnlt'discloscd iit Lltc trattsluccirt dcpths, was couvcyccl on a lorry,. drawrr by a tcanr of clccoratcdItorscs, nnd prcccdctl bv nri:sic ancl nrcnrbcrs of local Burns Clubs. It rvas all too largc for aclnrissionrvil"hirt thc gato of thc folausolounr onclosurc but it rvts fonualll, rccc vocl thcrc by, provost Glovcr. anda ltrll-lrcartctl respottsc rvus g.ivcr: io an cxlrlcssion c;l'Scottish kinship and Bunrs cnthusilsnr sobceutifirtly ;uxl so cntircly, unicprc.

Thc 1000 or ntorc florvcrs that cntcr into thc conrposition of thc r,vrcath arc apparcntly as frcsh as ifti.lcy had bccn novly'gatlrcrcd: alid urr.rch of tircir aroilra is no doubt contaiuccl. That rvill pass tvhcnihc polar crystal that circloscs iliose exquisitc blocms ofthc tropical Continent shall have meltecl arvay.But the subtler aron-Ia of a pcople's affection. n'hich is alsc a propcrty ofthe x,reath, is not in-lprisonedb1'thc ice, and it vrill nct pcrish ,,,,,hcn thc ice is dissol',/ed and thc lib;rated florvers are faded and dead',.

Thc joumalist's ailicic is hardll' lcss florvery than thc ivrcath. but rvhat a splcndid articlc. Norv. myfricnds, it is to bc hopcd that I 00 1'cars dorvn tlic track that tlrc Scots of Australia can show thcirapprcciatiorl in an ct'cir bcttcr u'ai,. pcrhaps A niorc a1;propriato gift could bc donatcd from thc ScotsDoirnundcr to ti:c Ei-Cenicirnial Fund. to go ton'ards the various projccts for 1996 in Scotland,organised by tirc Bunts Fcdcration.

RIDDLES

Q..Why do we plant bulbs in c,rr gardens?A. . So worms can see at night

Q:.Who was the first underwater spY?A..James Pond

Q..What do you callA. .No idea.

Q..What do you callA. . Still no idea.

a deer with no eyes?

a deer with no eyes and no legs?

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AUSTRALIAN STANDING STONES

The erection of an array of Standingtownship of Glen Innes was undertakencontribution to the social fabric ofby the people rvith Celtic origin.

Stones at the northern N.S.W.in recognition of the

Australia over the last 200 yrs

gathering place for people ofIrish, WeIsh, Cornish, Manxas a major historic event with

As the site is to serve as a culturalall the Celtic groups, the Scottish,and BreLon, this construction is seengIobaI implications.

uni:il now, there has been no single place anywhere in the world thatis designated for the purpose of uniting all branches of Celticpeople. for the accurate recording of Celtic history and lore andthe commenoration of t-hc Festivals that mark the annual calendar ofthe CeItic races" -ic rv-il-l p::c'.ric1e Lilstoric focus for young and oldalike to learn about and understand their Celtic heritage.

The array was modelled on the "Rings Of Brodgar" in the Orkn€ys,there is a total of 3B stones forming the array of Australian StandingStones. The circle of 24 stones represents the 24 hours in the dayand the 24 elders of the origional Christian Church. Outside thjscircle are four stones marking North, South, East and West. Whenjoined, these four stones also mark the Cross on which Christ died,signifying the Christian background of so many Celts who have helpeddevelop this great country over the last 200 years.

With the superimposition of five stones in the arrangement of thecelestial Southern Cross, the complete design combines the long heldtraditions of the CeItic people and their contribution to Australia.It is also interesting that the distance from the centre point to theNorth, Elast and West points of the Southern Cross iss 33 r:n'JLres.

Two addj-tional st-ones havc becn placed near the array, the Il,ab stonenot far from the South point of the Southe::n Cross is a replicaGorsedd stone requested b)' the Welsh and Cornish. fn thosecommunities with their Bardic Festivals, the winners or Bards wereinstalled on a stone stage, this is a replica.

The other taII stone tc r*he East of the Gorsedd stone is an Oghammonument requested i:,y'the irish. The Oyiiar:i J-angr-'.ags b/35 one of thefirst written languages, it consists of straight lines whether theybe long, short or sloping. The inscription on the stone is the waythe Irish would have written Glen Innes, 500 v()ars b.c. Gleann MaqiAongusa. Innes and Angus are the same name in Gaelic, so thisIiterally translated is "The Glen of the Sons of Angus".

In Celtic mythology 1,here are certain numbers that have specialmeaning.

NUMBER 33..has been used symbolically in designs for enchancementand is used in stories to assert regal or esoteric connotation.NUMBER 3...refIects the family unit.NUMBtrR 9...which when written as 3x3 indicates humanity as a whole.NUMBER 21 ..was used to enhance the prosperity attributed to a groupstarting off on a task, particularly in ancient times, orl a missionof endeavour.The ancient part of the array without the five stars of the SouthernCross total 33 stones. The guide stones in the centre number three.Still without the Southern Cross, the alignment stones inside thecircle number 9. The ci-rcle with the guide stones number 21 .

Ted Finn

Copied from the Dail Examiner Monda February, l9 , 1934

AN EXILE'S DREAM.

( By Alexander " S{ndv " I1C-I,,E}NA}-I . )

-Oh,take me back to Grafton town,Far o'er the deep blue sea;On Susan Island set me down,And happy I wiII be.

I'11 cast mY eyes to the South side,The sport where I was born;And tt tne scene where mother died,Who from our hearts was torn.

The first place where I'd love to 9oWould be my mother's grave;And though my heart would break with woe,For that dear scene I crave.

Though,Iong,Iong years have rolled owalrSince we have Parted beeniBut oh; I'd bless the welcome daY,That I could view that scene.

A darling brother I would findWho still is dwelling there'And consolations of the mind,With him Id fondlY share,

I'd surely be in heaven there,Sweet glory would me bless;My joys with Duncan once againNo mortal could express.

Another scene I would ]ook for,with palpitating hea r.tThe oLddear home, of daYs of Yore,Where love PlaYed a sweet Pa rt

Beneath that roof we children seven,

With parents watchful eyes,Were nursed withcare in a sweet heav'n'Which we immortalise -

But wiII that home be standing there,Or is it torn dwdl,Has evolution chose to spareThe ravage of the daY !

Will my Poor heart be stricken sad,With tears rnY dim eyes fitlwill that loved home of mum and 4adBe in existence sti1l'Z

Let fond memories be bl'otted out'And dear "AuId Lang SYne" dieiShould that loved home be not aboutWhen the scene I come nigh

If so I will tie to a gum tree,And weeP mY tears awayAnd theres a wild birds melodY,I'1ay my keen sorrows staYr '

Hospital gowns come infor the biscuit jar.My dentist saw a $100will have to come out"Radar spelt backwards

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STRESS STOPPERS

three sizes; short, shorter and don't reach

note in my pocket. He said "I'm afraid that

is radar; they get you coming and going.

8.4,95 Bundanoon

14.4.95 to 17.4.95

6.5"95 to 7.5.95

COMING EVENTS

is Brigadoon

Easter Maclean

Celtic Festival

Highland Gathering

at Standing Stones, GIen innes

NEXT MEETING

18.6.95 at the residence of Lenore Mclennan, Waterview,Light lunch is provided by ladies.!4eeting commences 1 .30 p.fii.

MEMBERSHIP

Single...$5:00

South Grafton.

Membership...$10:00

1 995-6 Due 1 .7.95

Red cross below denotes membership is overdue.

1995 95/e5

2/.And when my shocks from grief will pass'And I'm myself again,It may be a laughing jackasswill Lheer me with his strain'

A few old friends I then maymeet,l.lho wiII past daYs recall:School pals would be a joyful treat'I'd love to meet them all.

They wi'I have stores of sweet ioY 'And sad sad one as well,Go back to when I was a boy,Any many haPPening te11

I'LI make my t'ray to t^JiLson's itill 'AIso Wilson's Creek,And the o1d scrub,which oft did thrillIn vain, no doubt,I'd seek

The grand new bridge would be to me

A stranger in the Place:And many other sights I'd see,My young eyes did not trace'

Do any of the blacks remain,The aboriginesWho threw the curling boomerangAnd climbed the tallest tree?

Do sports still chase the kangaroos,or are theY all done inAnd are there still some fast emus,Ready to have a sPin.

Is possum shooting sti11 a sport'On jolly moonlight nightsor ar. all the scenes of this sortiLost to the Present sight'

The wattle trees no doubt exist"!,lith fragrance as of old,And are there dingoes whi-ch insistO-n ravages f uI} bo.ld"

oLd Caledonian Park I hear,Is now Aunt Jessie's homeHow my old heart would gladY. cheerOut there again to roam'

"Granny" HcPhersons dear old place'Has passed to owners new'v.L ltifl fond sights I there would trace'And trulY not a few'

Freemanrs I hear, have Ieft Guy Fawkes

Full many Years gone bY

ena poor Lla to* f,as met hard knocks 'In deals with a wise guy'

You are the onlY one,Of atl our familYThat dwe1ls the Clarence River on'How extraordi-narY.

3/.

Now I will wake from this long dream, ,-/But hope it will come true . 'r-

. For filty years we've parted beenToo long flr me and yoir.

So, I wiLl" pray that yet some dayI will return once nore

'And wouldn't my o1d heart feel gay,Sailing back to ttrat shore.

So goodbye till some not far date ,wfr"i you-wi11 rrrite again,And meantime f wiLl hJpe that fateSends good luck to us twain.,

Give my fond n'eart's best ]ove to all tPr-rends and relations dear,Anci you and yours have ttre first cailOn all in me sincere !

Oh,take rne back to Grafton town,Far o'er the deep blue sea:On Susan Is1and set me downAnd Happy I will be.

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€ -- n.: