Tomorrow we will

Faith, Hope, Unity and Purpose are Powerful National Weapons
When you hear Mother Nature is about to tear us apart
When warnings of doom are preached, come flutters of the heart
And you want to pack swag to flee wherever
Perhaps escape to the mountains, or the vast Never Never?
To dodge drought, fire, flood and seemingly endless rain
Or bury your head in sand, never to be seen again
Well, take a deep breath, if Australia is your home
For that’s part of life on OZ wherever you may roam
No matter, be you rich, poor or in between
We are as one, here Down Under, as it has always been
Sharing and caring for each other neath the Southern Cross
Jaws set firm when surrounded by danger and terrible loss
Here and there a joke, or perhaps “she’ll be right, mate”
Tears mid charred ruins of a home with a blistered gate
Or in another season, watch drowning memories drift from sight
Yet never wavering in faith to escape darkness and find light
In such troubled times, we are bonded closer together
No matter the danger, caused by man or tantrums of weather

Like those before us, it’s the same pain, sweat, blood and tears
Always the calmness, humour and faith to defy terrible fear
Emulating the courage and fortitude of past generations
Who with vision and grit, rolled up sleeves to help create our nation
Settlers with wooden plough or explorers on mountains blue
Blood at Eureka stockade and ANZAC spirit brave and true
Now it’s our turn to prepare the journey into those tomorrows
Bright beacons of pride and purpose for our young kin to follow
Spirits fueled by powerful words of “let me give a hand, mate”
Or “Check the young family down the road; we can wait”
To help those where empty pockets and bare larders abound
Always in testing times comes the cry “Pass the hat around “
Rescues, scones and tea, spare beds and hugs of comfort too
Fighting fires, feeding starving cattle, and more than a few
When told precious castles of dreams are lost, we weep and curse
Then brave smiles, tools in hand, we claim “it could have been worse”
With faith and hope in a safe and secure place, we are all as one
Tomorrow we will build new castles and find new dreams to be won

George Mansford
© March 2022

 

CAPTION: Australian Army soldiers from the 5th Engineer Regiment use earth-moving equipment to clear debris from a flood-affected house in Lismore, New South Wales, during Operation Flood Assist 2022. Photo by Corporal Jonathan Goedhart.

 

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