THE OLD TIMERS

Now in nearly every paper that

       I hap to gaze upon,

I see where some cove reckons

      That the good old men are gone

That the old-timers have vanished

       But I've got this to say:

There are plenty of old-timers

       In the back country today.

 

But to see them Mr Writer

       You must come out to the bush,

Then I will introduce you

       To plenty old-time push:

So roll your duds tomorrow,

       Take a ticket to Outback,

Then you and I will hunt together

       Old battlers on the track

   

We will buy a few good horses      

       And a pack saddle or two,

Then we head along the stock route

       North west of the Barcoo:

We will cross the Thompson River

       Strike the Flinders watershed,

While the sky will be our cover

       And the ground will be our bed.

 

And as we wander on our way

       Through all those northern tracks

You will see them as you travel

       With their swags upon their backs;

An odd one may be lucky

       If he owns a pair of nags,

For most of them own nothing

       But their swags and tucker bags.