Ode to Indigenous Stockmen
Indigenous Stockmen Salute
You, our men
Strong, Fearless, Stoic and Kind
Sons from proud families
At one with the land since millennia
Trackers, horsemen, ringers, drovers
Opening up the outback
Canning Stock Route, Hells Gate Track, Strzelecki Stock route, murranji
Ancient trade routes, our people did trade
Our goods, knowledge and stories
Heads of Cattle, mobs of sheep
You gave your trade routes
Your knowledge and skills
Economic prosperity to a selected few
Checked shirts, wide brimmed hats, dusty boots
Swags, saddles and whip
Months away from loved ones
Driving the cattle and the sheep
Night time at camp
Swapping stories of dreamtime
Dreaming of home
One last Billy tea before bed
Trotting, cantering then galloping
The last rise before home
You arrive, you are home
It’s been a year.
Many fights for your rights
Lingiari would be proud,
Hand full of sand
History stands, Your land.
Aboriginal stockman
Strong, fearless, stoic, kind
Knowledge is not lost; Next generation takes up
Trackers, horsemen, ringers, drovers
You are Australia
A legacy that lives on
Aboriginal stockman,
We salute you.
Sally Cooper and Dion Devow
