Remember Catherine Oddie Poem by Francis Duggan

The career her mum had mapped out for her did not work out to plan
For Catherine went to Kenya and married a Maasai man
She adapted to a different sort of culture and a different way of life
And to the noble Robert she's a devoted wife.

A different sort of lifestyle but a good life just the same
Remember Catherine Oddie how can one forget that name
She went from Melbourne to Africa for a brief holiday
But life is unpredictable and it's always been that way.

That a white woman should embrace the Maasai culture is not hard to understand
For the Maasai love their cattle and the Maasai love their land
And the Maasai live in harmony in their souls no room for greed
And the countryside around them supplies them with their need.

She fell in love with Kenya and with the Maasai clan
And with the warrior Robert a kind and gentle man
She embraced a foreign culture and she left her past behind
And in a distant continent her soul mate she did find.

Her holiday in Africa to a new life did lead
And her book on her life with the Maasai makes a memorable read
She adapted to a different lifestyle but a good life just the same
And remember Catherine Oddie who can forget her name.