Old Jim (Jimmy Gardiner)

Jimmy Gardiner was a man I worked with for a while at Camden Park Menangle south of Sydney in the late 60's .... I have another poem that I wrote about Jim called Òld Jim and the Moon Landing` which I hope to put up at a later date once I get the audio back.  Jim was a good cattle man and had great working dogs.

OLD JIM

Since the age of ten, he’d been droving in the sun and the rain,

semi-retired now and the stock routes would not see him again.

He was a hard man on his working dogs, but they sure respected him,

and he told me not to call him Mister “Son, my name is Jim.”

I was not long out of school and seeking my future direction,

and my interest in cattle and horses gave us a tenuous connection.

In some ways he was my hero; I would listen to his droving tales,

and once a week he’d head into town for the local cattle sales.

When the sale was over he would drink his fair share of beer,

but I never saw him angry; this man was always full of cheer.

Every weekend I’d see him walk down to this heavily wooded creek,

no matter what the weather even when it was wet and bleak.

This pilgrimage to the scrubby creek really fascinated me,

From his house, it was a good seven hundred yards you see.

One day he called in for a cup of tea and we began to talk,

and I figured this was my chance to ask about his weekly walk.

I said “Jim, I have to ask you something, and I don’t mean to pry,

but this weekend, sojourn to the creek, could you please tell me why?

He then told me the reason and I guess I had this look of surprise,

“I go down there for a crap.” old Jim said with a twinkle in his eyes.

I didn’t know what to say and for a while I was lost for a word,

This reason for his weekly walk to me seemed quite absurd

But I have an odd sense of humour and I thought this rather funny,

So I said “What’s the matter mate, do you have a buggered dunny?”

“No, it’s just that when I have the need to give me bowels a push,

For years I’ve always been far more comfortable doing it in the bush.”

“You see I suppose I’m claustrophobic, I don’t like feeling shut in,

Besides that porcelain dunny,

Well, I don’t like backing up to the bloody thing.”

© Corin Linch 11/8/09