~THE TEACHER PLAYED HOOKY
IN MURRUMBURRAH ~
In the year of nineteen sixty-three
When I was young and so fancy free
And I taught in New South Wales, you see,
I was banished to Murrumburrah.
Oh dear me!
In the year of nineteen sixty-three
When I was youthful and fancy free
That old railway town was not for me.
Such a dump was that Murrumburrah!
Oh dear me!
In the year of nineteen sixty-three
When I was girlish and fancy free
Country life was not my cup of tea.
A one horse town was Murrumburrah!
Oh dear me!
In the year of nineteen sixty-three
When I was suppressed but fancy free
Newbie teachers had no rights, you see,
And I so hated Murrumburrah.
Oh dear me!
In the year of nineteen sixty-three
I was feeling victimized, really.
'Twas a forced transfer to the country
To the ghost town of Murrumburrah.
Oh dear me!
In the year of nineteen sixty- three
When I was bold and so fancy free
The headmaster did not pity me.
I defied him and drove to Sydney.
Oh dear me!
In the year of nineteen sixty-three
When I acted so impulsively,
I was truant from school, you see,
By my deserting Murrumburrah.
Oh dear me!
In the year of nineteen sixty-three
I crashed my sports car into a tree.
The school inspector heard about me.
He was ready to fire me, you see.
Oh dear me!
By the year of nineteen sixty-six,
My chance of promotion next to nix,
I was determined to prove my point;
Bade farewell that Murrumburrah joint.
Yeah for me!
When three years older, a more cunning chick,
That creep learned I'd played some sneaky trick.
Thus that "inspector bloke" I did "fix".
That's when I escaped across the sea . . .
Yeah for me!
It's near fifty years since I did "fix."
I surmise that creep still gets his kicks
Whenever he thinks of our conflicts
And I'm still happy across the sea
As far from him as I can be.
... By an Aussie rebel
YOU ARE READING
THE TEACHER PLAYED HOOKY IN MURRUMBURRAH
PoetryI wish to dedicate this poem to newbie teachers in N.S.W., Australia. A/N As part of my required country service as a newbie teacher with the N.S.W. Department of Education in the 1960s, I was assigned to Murrumburrah Public School. This autobiogra...
