When The Whales Come To Port Fairy Poem by Francis Duggan

The gray clouds of winter in the southern sky
When the southern right whales come to Port Fairy with their calves in July
On East Beach the whale watchers assemble to see
From their binoculars the giant mammals of the deep sea
Magnificent creatures harmless to human kind
But for to harm them some men do seem all too inclined
To kill them for their oil as well as their meat
Though some will tell you the flesh of whale is not nice to eat
Saved from the endangered species list by the caring aware
But compared to what they once were their numbers now rare
School children with their binoculars were chuckling with delight
To see the whales up close to them was an amazing sight
A memory with them to keep of a beauty that is rare
That in some future time with their children they'll share.