Pakani, people

by Dan Buckley

Home to first placed Palawa,
Crushed by warfare, violence n’ disease.
Calcutta-carried convoys of re-committing convicts,
Live corpses cruelled in cold concrete cribs.
Mick Convict Maids colonised Cascade’s Factory.

Proud heritage from early adoptions.
The Legacy of John Gellibrand,
Ettie Rout’s unsafe-war-sex message,
Enid Lyons, a dame who outshone old Joe,
No dam for Lady Jane who lost her Sir John.

New homes for ripped-return-trip Vic weekenders,
Antipodean Hibernians, New Britons,
Sydney’s ex-semi-elite,
Sunny state’s thermally challenged,
Sandgropers, disoriented on migration east.

Franklin, still flowing,
From tarned Mount Hugel
To James Gordon’s Wild Rivers.
Flanagan’s First Person, a River Guide,
Unable to course the narrow tributaries to its (mid) north.

Errol Flynn, that Hobart heralded hedonist,
Fairbank famer with the Blood of Captain Hood.
Listen for Peter Sculthorpe’s Earth Cry.
Follow Tassie born n’ torn Riewoldt cousins,
Jack the Tiger, Saint Nick.

Brown Bob the Green, a rum’un,
His hunger, intellect, indefatigability.
Doc polly of prison-prone principles.
A Bush Heritage, his Foundation,
Built on damning the Hydro-Franklin.

Fanny Cochrane Smith,
Last lingua franca linguist
Of Flinders Island.
Wax’ed lyrical gramophones ensured this voice persists,
Her song playing, of Mother’s ancient origin.

Pride in primitive, professional Piner,
Champion chopper, David Foster,
Ton of titles under big-bellied belt.
Wonder at Gadsby’s knowledgeable knack, knave under Nanette,
Dropping Stand-Up on its miso-male, heterosexual head.

Apple Isle’s Queen, Amy Cure
Triple Olympian,
Trio of world track titles atop her pushy.
Richie Porte ached for others over eight French tours,
Podium pozzie in 2020.

Lutruwita’s cricketers, jeez can’t we bat?
Lily Poulett-Harris, Opener,
The Oyster Cove Ladies’ Cricket Club.
Boonie in Blunties,
Critical captains, Punter n’ Paine.

Bioethics laureate Lizzy Blackburn.
Nobel of ‘er to bring back
Krona n’ Diploma
From scandi-land North of Estonia.
(What the hell are telomeres?).

From Alannah’s Hill,
Franklin founded, Factory X funded.
Harrowing homelife to ‘handbag happy’.
To Mary Donaldson, now of Monpezat,
Crowned achievement, marrying well.

An island of Constant Gardeners,
Cohorts of Cundall’s cultivation.
Pete, a prior P.O.M.E, pacifist,
Pulp n’ Parliament protester,
Promoter of perennial pruning.

Teenage daughters,
Wood hook hobbyists,
Build fire outta’ wet sapling, blunt knife.
Force-em-back real footy,
From Huonville to Burnie, Strahan to St Mary’s.

Truganini, Lallah Rookh of Lutruwita
Whispers wisdoms from the otherworld,
Reconciliation of ancient, modern shames.
Pleads care, protection for nanalini, minanya,
Tina, takariliya.


Dan Buckley is a stay-at-home conservationist, part-time farmer, casual dad, and full-time writer. He is currently working on a second book of poems and his first novel.

A proud Huon Valley local, when not writing, Dan pulls out weeds, picks up animal poo, feeds chooks, chases miniature goats, and brushes oils through his beard.

Instagram:  @craplumberjack.