Love In The Outback

He was raised a country boy,
Rode through the rock and sand.
When the call came to war,
He said, Yeah, Ill lend a hand

His name was Len Hall -
A young bloke well skilled with horse,
Skills held in great esteem
With the 10th Light Horse.

Hed heard tales of the Gallipoli landings -
West Aussie blood on the sand.
Tales of glory and sacrifice
In a far off land.

He signed the dotted line
And received his uniform
And when he donned the hat
It was the best hed ever worn.

As he marched through Fremantle
Ready to board his ship,
He spied a pretty maiden
And chose to leave her a gift

She was but a young girl,
Only just fourteen.
He gave the emu feather from his hat
And her eyes began to gleam

The ship raised its steam
And thence did make sail
Amid a great rousing cheer
And more than one mothers wail.

So many men were there
On that terrible shore
Brits and Scots, Canadians
And from India by the score.

But most precious of them all
From new nations in the south
Australians and New Zealanders -
The anzacs, loud of mouth!

The toll in Turkey mounted.
The Empires youth marched on
Some had been NSW Carbineers
Against the Boers, 15 years gone.

Many there were farmers sons
Or had been digging the earth for gold
Others from young towns and cities.
All from a land so bold.

Life was so scarce and hard
With the guns ceaseless resounding.
News came in from Chinuck Bair
The Kiwis had faced a pounding.

The long months rolled on
And the decision was made
The battle with Johnie Turk was lost
So to the boat Len did wade

No doubt Len looked back
To the miserable shore.
The youth of two Empires wasted!
(250,000 Turks died in that War)

The force was scattered
And went to other fronts.
Len took part at Beersheba
A victory after so many months.

Field Marshall Koch declared ??
We will bleed France to death at Verdun??
The horror would but escalate
And there was a shocking turn to the war.

The Brits redoubled their efforts
To go to their allies aid.
20 died every second.
25,000 in one day.

The Aussies joined the line
On the Belgian front.
They faced the German Army
And bravely took their brunt.

They held Villers de Bretoneaux
After driving 7 miles in 7 hours.
They held on for many days
Amid the German guns horrific sound.

At Villers De Bretoneaux
They still weep as they say
Remember the Australians
For their bravery that terrible day.

So what was achieved?
After so many years of war?
The young country became a nation.
And a determined pride came to the fore.

After 5 years away
Len Hall returned from the war.
The sight of his home port
Was a sight for eyes so sore.

The ship pulled in to port
And he diembarked his berth.
The cheering crowds resounding -
The grateful people of Perth

A great smile on his face
He wandered along the dock.
After many years of horror
The next was the sweetest shock.

In front of him stood a girl
About 19 years of age
Nervously holding an emu feather
A gift from another age.