Local Gossip
I heard a rumour in Narooma
How that tree hugger from Numbugga
Has the best bee garden North of Bega.
Honey sweet, dark and gooey
Farmed by a few of the sunburnt
Perma crew from Bermagui
You know who I mean?
Old mate Jake Hughes
They call him Hughie.
Hangs about with that flashy
Bold fella Beau of Bodalla's dairy scene
Acquainted through his Aunt Dorothy Brean
Their whole family blessed
With ebony curls and sun-kissed skin.
Beau and Hughie often gather up their music
And merrily road trip the valley together
Feeling grateful to see it so green.
They carpool (as they should) at Cobargo
Not far from the Wandella turnoff
Pack their instrumental cargo
Into Beau's shiny you-beaut new blue ute.
Hughie brings his marimba for Merimbula
He's a regular at the annual jazz festival.
Beau shreds his bass every other Saturday
With the Guitar Brah's in Tathra
Haven’t made it out of the garage as yet
Everyone reckons they will.
Heading South, pit stop in Quaama
There's a predictable worn-out drama.
Beau does donuts beside the general store
He likes to show off a little just before
They take the bumpy unsealed back way
To visit another friend of Dorothy.
He's mostly broke but he’s a generous, top bloke
Recently moved from Kalaru to Bemboka
The fabulous Charlie “Chuck” Roacker!
He sings lead and plays keys
A gifted emerging Liberace.
They jam reggae, disco and some country.
Eventually, all three mates get a hankering
For real coffee outdoors with community.
So Hughie, Chuck and Beau Follow Buckajo Road to Candelo
It’s definitely not the direct route
But it’s Sunday and they are going slow.
They meander the monthly markets
Mingle with musos, yarn until the sun sets
As the creek flows again underneath Eden Street.
It's been four years since Black Summer fires
Crimsoned and cracked these innocent skies
Ripped savagely along Yuin songlines
Snatching up wildlife and human lives.
Scarring the hills from Timbillica
Right through Tantawangalo
Behind where Hughie, Chuck and Beau
Now prepare to drive the Princes Highway home.
Clear of ash confetti, hot embers, smoke and worry
They witness a spectacular view from Kanoona
A bright, white full moon rising over Djiringanj Country
Hoisted above Mumbulla Mountain like a beacon of safety.
Now that’s a well-kept secret! All three mates agree
Let people gossip about the beauty they see
And everything achieved during bush fire recovery.
You see, they have been front line, first responders
No hesitation, volunteered with the Rural Fire Service
Co-wrote the Sapphire sound track of resilience
Still keeping watch in their own villages.
Hugging trees, saving bees, visiting those in need
Having a go at anything they hope will help most
They are heart, part and parcel of the Far South Coast
Our young men Hughie, Chuck and Beau.
We are glad to know local lads like them.
They’re not larrikins, they are hurricanes
They storm right in when trouble begins
That’s how we raise them here on Yuin Country.
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Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work and the places in which we live. We pay respect to Ancestors and Elders past and present. We recognise the unique cultural and spiritual relationship and celebrate the contributions of First Nations peoples to Australia.
