Gum Trees Poem by Warren Brown

A gum tree is a wondrous thing
A symbol of our nation, strong
The tallest flowering plant around, the eucalypt
It reaches from Tasmania to ‘Top End'
And from Broome to Byron Bay

Host to orchids, ants, birds and possums too
It provides timbers strong and the oil
Makes a soft furniture polish which brings a nice hue
And eucalyptus drops for those with flu

The gum's been here since before BC
The Flinders Ranges is the place to be
The grandest, most magnificent specimens ever seen
Hans Heysen captured them in all their majesty

In WA they have the Karri, very tall
At Buladelah, there the "Grandis" grows
The tallest of the tall, they say
But I doubt they've been to Tassie
Where I'm sure the tallest grow

I love the smell of eucalyptus
Sailors smelt it ere they saw the shore
When I was overseas and smelt one
Overwhelming, the desire to go home

I love to view our gum trees
Small ones, large and ancient ones
Stately, rugged, proud, majestic
Describe them how you will, your heart will thump with pride
They're greatest plants on earth

To think I used to cut them down
It makes me cringe with shame
Never more will I be guilty
Of indiscriminate clearing
Thin out the undergrowth by all means and let the grass come thru
But leave the bloody trees alone!

Think about the consequences
Of clearing, as has been done
Denude the landscape of the trees, what purpose be achieved?
Tell me, what will cleanse the air?
And what will bring the rain?
And what will keep the salt away?

Extremely ignorant, our fathers were
And still, some haven't learned
Can't shade beneath a dollar
Grow foodstuffs in the salty ground
We live in almost desert
Lets not allow it to expand.