Steeling Ourselves

THAT'S MY WORLD encourages us all to learn about each other.
This is what happened to my present home town, Newcastle, in Australia.

We arrived in Newcastle, Australia, over thirty years ago. It was a filthy industrial town then. Of course, the beaches and lakes and parks were there, but dust seemed to cover everything. BHP (Broken Hill Proprietary Company) kept the city wealthy and it seemed as though everyone worked for the Steel Giant.

 (In my poem it seems I was Steelworker! But that's just imagination.)


Then BHP closed. We all expected Newcastle to go into decline but, instead, it has been reborn as a pleasant resort city.

Let's hope it survives the present downturn.

STEELING OURSELVES!

Newcastle's a city that's built by the sea;

When we think of its future we're proud as can be.

But there once was an edifice called BHP!

And the smoke billowed out of the smokestack.

We'd get up each morning before it was light

To a world full of smoke and as black as the night,

But the glow from the factory made the sky bright,

And the smoke billowed out of the smokestack.

We'd moan and we'd groan as we surged through the gates,

But we still raised a shout when we met with our mates.

We talked about working hours, wages and rates,

And the smoke billowed out of the smokestack.

And the ash kept on tumbling all over the town,

And the washing turned black and the flowers turned brown,

And sometimes the air seemed like clouds falling down

When the smoke billowed out of the smokestack.

But the day of the closure resembled a wake,

When the big men of business took all they could take,

And left us our beaches, our river and lake.

No more smoke billowed out of the smokestack.

Now Newcastle glows with a sparkle and shine,

We can laze in the parks, we can go out to dine.

But, still we remember that life was so fine,

When the smoke billowed out of the smokestack.

A big change!

You may enjoy a earlier poem of mine on this same subject

http://rinklyrimes.blogspot.com/2009/03/322-guard-dog.html