Drover Dick

Drover Dick
by Don Johnson
Brisbane..Australia.

Our Colonel was Dick Marson, 
on the New Guinea campaign, 
He was for us, old Drover Dick, 
who down the Cooper came. ..........Aussie cattle rustler (duffer)
The one who rode with Redford, the cattle 
duffer mate. 
They took a thousand head, to South ......from Queensland to Adeliade SA
Australia straight. 
This man who was our hero, was a first war 
veteran true. 
He led us up the Kokoda trail, we'd take tea 
with a Jap or two. 
The bursting shrapnel sliced his gut, 
his stomach it dropped out. 
There was no doctor to stitch him up, 
just the Muleteer about. 
I had used a mule team in the Middle East, 
with the Second Twenty Fifth. 
We took supplies to the troops at least, 
till they blew my mules to bits. 
I used to stitch their packs up, 
and counter line them too. 
Old Dick knew I could do the job, to make 
him good as new. 
So he said just send for Johno, to put me 
guts in straight. 
The muleteer can counterline, 
or I'll be just crowbait. 
I blanket stitched him mate, was as neat as 
I could be. 
He stood erect said, "That's first rate" 
then he called out.... 
"Follow me !" .........As my father of the 2/25th battalion told me about the ww2
New Guinea, September 1942.. Aussies versus the Japanese.....Kokoda trail..
Copyright © | Year Posted 2010

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Roberts Avatar
November 16, 2010 at 10:26 PM
you have soup mail
A   Avatar
November 16, 2010 at 9:22 PM
well hello, Jon a very good lesson thanks for the info and thought, have a nice day,,,p.d.
M V Avatar
November 16, 2010 at 9:16 PM
You have painted an intersting story,Don.I enjoyed beauty of the lines.
Devonshire Avatar
November 16, 2010 at 7:01 PM
What a fascinating story, Don! The poem is quite witty, but the backdrop of WW2 makes it very intriguing as well. Did your father really stich the colonel using the talent he developed from stitching up his mules? How resourceful. James Fraser would love this poem too. Hope he gets a chance to read it. Excellent! Best wishes, Carolyn
Roberts Avatar
November 16, 2010 at 6:31 PM
another interesting bit of history Don, thanks for sharing your tales
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