Woomera Poem by Frank Halliwell

by Frank Halliwell..
Jimboomba, Australia
Public Domain

They came to find a better life far from a tyrant's will
But greetings in the 'lucky country' were a bitter pill,
And guest accomodation in a place that's hard to beat,
Was out there with snakes and lizards, in the searing desert heat.


But do not accuse me, stranger, for they do not speak for me,
And though I am Australian, narrow men ignored my plea,
We have thus been dishonoured and I hang my head in shame,
That such unfeeling things were done, and in Australia's name.


One day a monument will rise, emblazoned with the name.
On the road that leads to Woomera, to mark Australia's shame.
That we held a land of plenty, and we offered others none,
But the flash of coils of razor wire glinting in the sun.
o0o